Flashback to 2014: Hartford, CT’s Queen Moo have just begun to rise up out of the ashes of previous CT indie rock darlings Two Humans with their promising but aptly titled Incomplete live demo. Exhibiting many early signs that the band was shedding any pretense of “emo” music that their earlier band might have suggested, the demo introduced ragged and raw sketches of the jazz inflected riff-rock that would show up on their excellent debut.
As a stand alone, Incomplete is still very listenable, especially for fans who already know every word to the self-titled record. While this writer might have accurately predicted which songs on the demo would have been most likely to make the official album, many others might have bet on the somber, lonely “Fool?” that backs up the perpetually cryptic anthem “Cactus Romantic” to also have some time in the spotlight.
In retrospect, “Fool?” just seems like one of those songs that didn’t quite fit the “quitting emo to get drunk” tone of Queen Moo the record. Unlike those songs, it relies less on a jagged punch of guitars and more on its isolated melancholy. That being said, “Fool?” lingers on as a worthy “deep cut” not only because of it’s unique place in the band’s discography, but because it highlights one of their most memorable vocal melodies to date.
Listen to “Fool?” below:
