After 2004's critically acclaimed
Blue Cathedral, one might have expected
Comets on Fire to blast off into the cosmos in an infinite flurry of lysergic spasmodicism. Surprising, then, that they should turn in an earthy, more accessible and downright beautiful album as their follow-up. Then again, it is a completely logical progression, but in reverse, sort of.
On Avatar their astonishing new album, Comets display development in every direction: as musicians, as songwriters, as arrangers and as singers (?!), without sacrificing one ounce of the intensity that is expected from our heroes. As on Blue Cathedral, the diversity of the material is staggering. Avatar veers from swinging, bluesy explorations to piano-laced, progressive power balladry, to pure tribalism, evoking everyone from the Allmans, to Quicksilver, to Procol Harum, to some insane Fela/Sun Ra/Crazy Horse hybrid, yet remains wholly < a href="http://www.subpop.com/scripts/main/bands_page.php?id=430">Comets on Fire. Though they play cleaner and clearer, their firepower is evident and abundant. They have shifted gears and opened themselves up completely. You should do the same.
EVERYONE WHO PRE-ORDERS THE NEW COMETS LP/CD WILL RECEIVE A LIVE DVD OF THEIR MIND-BLOWING PERFORMANCE AT ARTHUR FEST 2005 SHOT BY JOHN MOLONEY AND FEATURING THESE SONGS:
Holy Teeth
The Bee and The Cracking Egg
The Antlers of the Midnight Sun
Pussy Foot the Duke
Hatched Upon the Age
Whiskey River
Plus, you'll get buttons and stickers and the smug satisfaction that comes with having an item of which others can only dream.
GET IT AND LISTEN HERE!
"...cosmically righteous - one of the best psych-rock records of our young century." -Spin
"At the moment in American psychedelia, San Francisco's Comets on Fire are the ultimate howl." -Rolling Stone
"****---Echoplex-crazed psych warriors achieve transcendence." -Mojo
"We fuckin rule." -Noel Von Harmonson, Comets on Fire
"'Sour Smoke' is the motherfuckin' jam!" -Me, last night on the way home from the beach
Oh, you know what? If you like COMETS ON FIRE I bet you'd be interested in checking out the new WOLF EYES 12" that we have in stock. As usual, it is a beast, and a very limited beast at that.
GET IT HERE.
COMETS ON TOUR!
Jul 27 K&M bar, Brooklyn,NY (Other Music presents: Comets on Fire "Avatar" listening party)
Aug 08 Amoeba, San Francisco,CA (FREE IN-STORE @ 6pm)
Aug 14 Casbah, The, San Diego,CA
Aug 15 Echo, Los Angeles,CA
Aug 16 Great American Music Hall, San Francisco,CA
Aug 18 Holoscene, Portland,OR
Aug 19 Neumos, Seattle,WA (kinski)
Aug 31 First Unitarian Church, Philadelphia,PA
Sep 02 Little Brother, Columbus,OH
Sep 03 Empty Bottle, Chicago,IL
Sep 04 Magic Stick, Detroit,MI
Sep 05 Lees Palace, Toronto,ON, Canada
Sep 07 Middle East, Cambridge,MA
Sep 08 Knitting Factory Club Inc, New York City,NY