Skipped It 'Til Now: Comet Gain - Broken Record Prayers

This week's "Skipped It 'Til Now" record isn't one that I skipped, rather it's the band themselves that I skipped. I haven't heard a whole lot of Comet Gain in my life. A friend recommended their album Tigertown Pictures a few years back, and I thought it was good, but I didn't take any strides to find anything else of theirs afterward. Well, after listening to their new compilation, Broken Record Prayers, I think I have a pretty good idea of what I missed, and I realize I missed a very good band.

Broken Record Prayers is a collection of songs from various releases of the Comet Gain discography. These tracks span about 10 years, but the sequence that they appear in here make it seem as if they were made especially for this album. Comet Gain's sound is sort of unique. I can't think of another band that sounds like them, which is a very good thing. They go from sweet dream-pop to fiery punk with no problem, such as on "You Can Hide Your Love Forever" and the rockin' "Orwell Liberty Dance." "Love Without Lies," the newest song on the record, is an intense post-punk beast with an awesome bassline and wonderful echoing vocals by singer Rachel Evans. It is followed by the Curtis Mayfield cover, "Hard Times," which is transformed from a '70s funk social commentary to a fierce, jangly (perhaps that's an oxymoron..) rock song. Comet Gain take several different approaches to nearly every song, so none of them sound the same, which makes the disc interesting throughout.

At 20 tracks, one would think that this comp would have its share of filler, but Broken Record Prayers is surprisingly strong and engaging. As a career-spanning compilation, this disc does a great job of showcasing the band's strengths and apparent consistency and can serve as a good introduction to a very talented band worth some attention.

- Jake