The Hard Quartet

The Hard Quartet…
… is a band. But what is a band? A band, perhaps, can be thought of as a body, a corpus, in which physically
discrete lifeforms comprise a chimera that shrieks with one voice. In this particular band, which is one of mil-
lions in the world today, four players selflessly merge, become musical, and emit rock ‘n’ roll that is familiar but
new, warm but icy, melodic but Sphinx-like in its seductive and subtle riddles… essentially, The Hard Quartet
has leveled, cultivated, and made lush an entirely new steppe in the ecosystem of guitar-bass-drums-voice
agriculture.
But we should now introduce the men of the HQ because after that, since you know your shit, you’ll be all:
“Him? Him too? And, oh my god, him? Wait, not just them but also him?” and you’ll, rightfully, expect an
album that musos and casuals alike will proclaim a “landmark.” So, check it out: Let’s do this alphabetically
according to last name, which is the most democratic method.
Ladies and gentlemen, the Hard Quartet is:
Emmett Kelly, a songwriter, guitarist, and vocalist best known for his work in The Cairo Gang as well as in
the company of artists such as Will Oldham, Ty Segall, Azita, and many more.
Stephen Malkmus, a songwriter, guitarist, and vocalist best known for his work with Pavement, the Jicks,
Silver Jews, Straw Dogs, and eponymously.
Matt Sweeney, a songwriter, guitarist, and vocalist best known for his work with Chavez, Superwolf, Super-
wolves, and in the company of a panoply of artists from Guided by Voices and Cat Power to Johnny Cash and
Neil Diamond.
Jim White, a drummer and songwriter best known for his work with Dirty Three, Xylouris White, eponymous-
ly, and with such stalwarts as PJ Harvey, Smog, and Venom P. Stinger.
Do you see? Four Titans, basically. And here they are, now, today, starting a band—a band which they’ve gone
ahead and named The Hard Quartet, for Christ’s sake—which is a bulletproof, effortless amalgam of their
completely distinct and completely broken-mold utterances.
Perhaps, on the streets and the messageboards, you’ve heard rumors and mutterings about the death of rock.
Maybe you’ve read a critical essay about it in an academic journal. We implore you to reject this crackpot
theory propagated by unbelievers and philistines who haven’t listend to Danny & the Juniors once in their lives.
The Hard Quartet, through its very existence and onward via its dedication to electrified reels, hymns, paeans,
and rave-ups, is mathematical, empirical proof that human beings slashing at strings, pounding at skins, and
opening their mouths to intone tuneful, mythic messages is here to stay. It will never die; we’ll dig it to the end.
What follows is a selection of musings, aphorisms, and slogans of the HQ clergymen. Perhaps you’ll want to
fold it up and keep it in your pocket for easy reference in times of rudderlessness. Think of it as a sort of
Meditations for the soon-to-be faithful, an Aurelius for the audiophile, a peek through the stubborn skull into the
pink bumps and grooves of the pulsating brain shared by Emmett, Stephen, Matt, and Jim—also known, from
this day until the sun goes out, as The Hard Quartet.

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