Quasi is an indie rock band formed in Portland, Oregon in 1993, consisting … Read Full Bio ↴Quasi is an indie rock band formed in Portland, Oregon in 1993, consisting of the ex-husband and wife team of Sam Coomes (vocals, guitar, roxichord, various keyboards) and Janet Weiss (vocals and drums). In 2007, bassist Joanna Bolme, of Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks, who had toured with Quasi in 2006, became an official member of the band; she left the band in 2011.

In 1990, Coomes, Weiss, and Brad Pedinov formed the band Motorgoat. The band released two self-released cassettes and one 7" single before dissolving in 1993. Quasi started recording as a duo in 1993. They played with various additional musicians in early live appearances, but eventually settled on playing live as a duo as well. They self-recorded and self-released a cassette and a CD in 1993. They recorded R&B Transmogrification in the Portland band Pond's basement recording studio and released it on Up Records in 1997. They released two more albums with Up: Featuring "Birds" in 1998 and Field Studies in 1999; both albums were recorded at Jackpot Studios in Portland, Oregon.

In 1998 and 1999 they toured the U.S., Europe, Australia, and Japan opening for and serving as the backup band for Elliott Smith (who Coomes had played with in Heatmiser) as well as touring on their own in the U.S. and Europe. In 2001 They home-recorded The Sword of God and released it on Touch & Go. Quasi had been somewhat political since its inception, but their opposition to the 2003 Invasion of Iraq showed through in a straight-forward way with the release of Hot Shit! in 2003, particularly in the songs "White Devil's Dream" and "Master and Dog." When the Going Gets Dark followed in 2006, released on Touch & Go in the U.S. and Domino Records in Europe, as with Hot Shit!.

In Spring 2009, the band announced that they had signed to the Kill Rock Stars label, and were due to release their already recorded next album in the latter half of the year. That album, entitled American Gong, was released February 23, 2010 to generally favorable reviews. It was their first and only album to feature third member Joanna Bolme. Following a tour of Japan, Europe, and the United States in support of the full length, Bolme left the band. A duo again, Sam and Janet are recording material for a new album.

The Jig Is Up
Quasi Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

The Jig is Up
We're throwing our clocks out the window
Make for high ground
And watch the sun's blood over mexico
Come back kid forget what you did
Forget where you've been
My poor long lost twin
Long lost twin

We kick through the shards
Of the white plastic domes of the moneymen
The dust of the stars and the burned out controls of the mind-machine
Day bears the nights night bulls the day

It just don't seem right to just piss it away
Piss it away

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Quasi's song, The Jig Is Up, feature a mix of imagery and ideas, painting the picture of a world in turmoil. The first line, "We're throwing our clocks out the window," sets the stage for a sense of liberation and defiance against societal norms. The singer seems to be calling for a new beginning, away from the constraints and expectations of modern life. The phrase "Make for high ground" adds a sense of urgency and danger to their situation, as if they are escaping some kind of impending disaster.

The second verse shifts the focus to conflict and struggle, both within and outside of the self. The image of "kicking through the shards of the white plastic domes of the moneymen" suggests a rebellion against the commercial, capitalist aspects of society, while "the burned out controls of the mind-machine" evoke a sense of personal turmoil and mental unrest. The line "Day bears the nights night bulls the day, it just don't seem right to just piss it away" implies a sense of existential questioning, reflecting on the purpose and meaning of life in the face of struggle and adversity.

Line by Line Meaning

The Jig is Up
Our deceitful ways have been exposed

We're throwing our clocks out the window
We are abandoning our traditional schedules and routines

Make for high ground
We should seek safety and refuge

And watch the sun's blood over mexico
We must witness the violence and chaos in Mexico

Come back kid forget what you did
Return to your youth and erase your past mistakes

Forget where you've been
Ignorance is bliss

My poor long lost twin
My former self, lost and forgotten

We kick through the shards
Our destruction of the oppressive capitalists

Of the white plastic domes of the moneymen
The financial institutions that have controlled us

The dust of the stars and the burned out controls of the mind-machine
The remnants of the technological advancements that have exploited us

Day bears the nights night bulls the day
The world is unbalanced and unfair