A West Virginia quintet that features both a trumpet and violin, Qiet is well-prepped to ramble. And it does. This album staggers through the last century of American music without settling on any particular sound. This approach applies to many of the individual songs as well.

Qiet Pet Driftwood (Composition #8) (self-released)

But instead of some sort of clinical survey, Qiet is all noise and mess. Ever wonder what the Jesus Lizard might sound like if their songs were set to a go-go beat? Have you pined for a Led Zeppelin/Dirty Dozen Brass Band mashup? Does your favorite playlist feature Alejandro Escovedo, Janis Joplin and Mudhoney? Do you get excited hearing drum corps bands playing Dead Kennedys? Qiet is your ticket to such awesome things.

The greatness of this album lies in its energy and the mess created by that energy. These songs are often played to 11--both in volume and exuberance. The arrangements are frightfully and enticingly imprecise. When a sterling hook emerges out of the chaos, the thrill is almost unbearable.

This sort of extreme americana seems to be a coming thing, but Qiet is probably the most effusively powerful and inclusive of the bunch. This album sounds like the party where everyone got smashed, music was played way too loud, your significant other ended up with someone else for the night--and everything was cool anyway. It shouldn't work, but it does.

And yes, I know such parties aren't for everyone. But if you haven't tapped into your boisterous nature lately, Qiet will do the trick without giving you a social disease. Though if you see a live show, I don't think I would be entirely sure about that. Just sayin'.

Jon Worley