Bourbonese Qualk — Preparing For Power

Preparing For Power was the 8th album from Uk based anarchistic and experimental music collective Bourbonese Qualk. It originally appeared in 1986 and found the project offering up a more balanced/ even collection of songs, compared with the often more lose/ jam-based sound of their early releases. Here from Klanggalerie is a recent CD release of the album.

The CD comes presented in a dull silver & black four-panel digipack- featuring the albums original cover artwork, and a back cover taking in a black ‘n’ white photo montage. With track listings, credits, and inversed tower block picture inside the digipak. Simple, but effective packaging.

The CD is a fourteen track affair with the tracks lasting between one and four minutes. The album-opens with the cold strutting electro reggae tones, tolling ‘n’ grim indie rock guitars, layered-yet-muffled vocals, and moody horn work of “Return To Order”. Moving Onto scrubbing violins, buzzing beats & blunt bass lines of “Boggy Creek”- which is topped by almost rap-like spoken word texts. Through to darting synth bass-lines, piping spacey-ness and muffled vocalising  “Born Left Hearted” which at points has an almost early Coil vibe about it.  We have the mellow instrumental indie rock electric & acoustic guitar harmonics of “Backlash”. With the album playing out with bobbing ‘n’ throb bass lines, squeaking ‘n’ squalling electronics, and spaced-out moody guitar reverb of “Bethlem”.

All in all Preparing For Power is one of the more consistent and even albums I’ve heard from Bourbonese Qualk. If you enjoy 80’s genre-mixing with post-industrial/electronica leanings I’d say this will most certainly be of interest to you.