|
Written by Phil Freeman
|
|
Monday, 14 August 2006 |
Comets on Fire
Avatar
Sub Pop
"Dogwood Rust" opens this album in mid-groove, a jazzy but amped-up strut reminiscent of John McLaughlin's Devotion, or Blue Cheer covering "Third Stone from the Sun." Comets on Fire make no secret of their stoner leanings; there are riffs on this disc Nebula or even Kyuss would kill to claim. The album's indisputable peak, "Sour Teeth," starts with a thunderous, Zeppelin-like groove, driven by bass and electric piano but utterly dependent on Utrillo Kushner's throbbing, tribal drums. Stinging guitar riffs fill out the soundscape, bolstering meditative choral vocals.
Just after the six-minute mark, the band drifts into a piano-driven interlude, before amping up and taking the song out, heavy again. But there are plenty of quiet moments, too; "Lucifer's Memory" and the album closer, "Hatched Upon the Age," are keyboard-based and reminiscent of Mountain's softer moments. More early '70s than late '60s, this album is a proudly retro-rock monsterpiece. Phil Freeman
|
|
Last Updated ( Monday, 08 January 2007 )
|
