Born an Eskimo, Die an Eskimo - QimmiQ

Born an Eskimo, Die an Eskimo

​QimmiQ
self-released; 2015

3.7 out of 5

By Ted Rogen
​

Freddie Sippings (guitar/bass/vocals) and Robert Evans-Pritchard (drums/cajon/vocals) not only have a great band name - Born an Eskimo, Die an Eskimo - but are off to an impressive start with their first release entitled QimmiQ. At the center QimmiQ is prog rock. The songs feature shifting time signatures, advanced chord progressions and a whole lot of creativity. It’s a fun album because you aren't sure where the songs are going to go. In order for this type of music to work both musicians have to have some serious technical skills. There’s just no way around that. If you want major and minor chords backed by a 4/4 beat then you came to the wrong place. 

After a short intro entitled “Step: In” revolving around guitar harmonics the band starts to flex their muscles on “Fingerprints.” The vocal melody didn’t really have to be catchy but was in its own way. The song starts to split open with inventive guitar parts and enough momentum to keep the energy up. “Spazman Froid” is another success and solidifies that the band has an almost endless amount of riffs. I think even the most ADHD minded individuals will be able of focus on a song with this many engaging changes. 

Even though all the songs felt evenly matched in terms of quality “Finding 1” was a personal favorite. The opening guitar is all over the place in a good way. Sippings is essentially playing lead but it comes off in a way that makes it feel like rhythm. “Phossy Jaw” rocks out in an unconventional way while “Things At The End Of Your Feet” is a melodic piece that has some great interplay between the guitar and drums. 

QimmiQ is mainly an instrumental album and a good one at that. The vocals while effective when in the mix almost feel like an afterthought and are certainly not the center of the songs. 

The only thing that I was hoping for the whole time was better production and recording quality. There is a definite DIY feel on this album, which certainly isn't too shabby but the music was begging for enhanced quality. All things considered this is a very impressive start and I think Born an Eskimo, Die an Eskimo is a group to keep your eyes on.

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