Comsat Angels:
Waiting For a Miracle / Sleep No More / Fiction / Chasing Shadows:
Edsel Records:
CD/LP:
Out Now:
Issued at the tail-end of 2015 but largely-overlooked in the Christmas rush, Sheffield's post-punk sky-gazers The Comsat Angels are deserving and somewhat overdue of a decent reissue program in the form of double CD versions.
Initially reminiscent of Echo and the Bunnymen, The Sound and Modern Eon, the Comsats's sound and lyrical bent was less inward-looking and intense than that of other Sheffield acts of the time such as Cabaret Voltaire or Clock DVA yet was still rooted in urban paranoia, relationship breakdowns and dreams, nightmares and psychosis. On later post-Polydor albums, they were chasing the dream of breaking global markets with bigger hair and brighter pop - it sadly never happened.
After a JG Ballard-inspired name change from Radio Earth, the band set their sights on wider audiences than local pubs and clubs with the John Peel-endorsed single Red Planet, included here as part of the first instalment of this reissue program, the keen and sprightly Waiting For a Miracle. As debuts go, WFAM launches itself with some considerable portent with the first three songs straight out of the traps and no mistake. Opener Missing in Action recalls the energy of The Sound, Baby is surely present in Interpol's music collection somewhere, while the instantly-recognisable and adventurous Independence Day impresses 35 years after its initial release. And fans of early Editors will recognise their hero's hallmarks on the bruising On The Beach. Peel Sessions, demos and that all-important first single pack out the second disc.
If WFAM loses consistency towards the end of its forty minutes, save for the excellent Map Of The World, the sophomore Sleep No More keeps the faith for its entire length. Somewhat darker and more assured, the likes of single The Eye Dance, the non-album cut Eye of the Lens and the sparse yet insistent title-track set the tone for what is a genuinely forboding listen. Tracks with titles like Be Brave and Dark Parade almost tell a story without the need for the music but think of early Modern English, Faith-era Cure and another band hell-bent on drumming their way into darkness, Music For Pleasure. Radio One's evening crew must have loved them and their bigger sound at this time - both Peel and Richard Skinner provided sessions (included here).
Fiction signalled a switch from dark to light and a shift to more melodic pop-rock, without totally rejecting The Comsat Angels propensity for the gloom. After the Rain hints at moving on from the austere atmospheres of SNM while Now I Know and Not a Word return to the fevered energy of post-Crocodiles Bunnymen. Perhaps Fiction's main drawback is in the mix - some songs bury the vocals, other are just too drum-oriented without being particularly rhythmic. Still, the likes of Birdman and Ju Ju Money offer up something of a lively curtain-call on these Polydor years.
After a two-album stint at Jive Records (presumably due for a reissue at some point), Island offered up an unlikely ally in fellow Yorkshireman Robert Palmer. By now the erudite blue-eyed soulman was a hit-maker and an aficionado of the Comsats fully-developed pop-chops. In no time, Palmer had steered Island supremo Chris Blackwell in their direction and a contract preceded the recording of Chasing Shadows with the 'simply irresistible' Robert in the producer's chair. Compared to their early material, you could be forgiven for thinking this is a different band. The drums are clearer, the keyboards more to the fore and singer Fellows has developed a 'voice' that wouldn't sound amiss on Go West, Simple Minds or indeed Robert Palmer tunes. Despite these seemingly AOR/MOR comparisons, Chasing Shadows is a wholesome effort if you like shiny keyboard-driven grown-ups pop-rock. Last track Pray For Rain is a dead-ringer for a lost Talk Talk b-side. In contrast, included is the truly dreadful Dream Command project, the band's Tin Machine moment.
Ratings:
Waiting For a Miracle - ★★★★★★★★☆☆
Sleep No More - ★★★★★★★★☆☆
Fiction - ★★★★★★★☆☆☆
Chasing Shadows - ★★★★★☆☆☆☆☆
Waiting For a Miracle / Sleep No More / Fiction / Chasing Shadows:
Edsel Records:
CD/LP:
Out Now:
Issued at the tail-end of 2015 but largely-overlooked in the Christmas rush, Sheffield's post-punk sky-gazers The Comsat Angels are deserving and somewhat overdue of a decent reissue program in the form of double CD versions.
Initially reminiscent of Echo and the Bunnymen, The Sound and Modern Eon, the Comsats's sound and lyrical bent was less inward-looking and intense than that of other Sheffield acts of the time such as Cabaret Voltaire or Clock DVA yet was still rooted in urban paranoia, relationship breakdowns and dreams, nightmares and psychosis. On later post-Polydor albums, they were chasing the dream of breaking global markets with bigger hair and brighter pop - it sadly never happened.
If WFAM loses consistency towards the end of its forty minutes, save for the excellent Map Of The World, the sophomore Sleep No More keeps the faith for its entire length. Somewhat darker and more assured, the likes of single The Eye Dance, the non-album cut Eye of the Lens and the sparse yet insistent title-track set the tone for what is a genuinely forboding listen. Tracks with titles like Be Brave and Dark Parade almost tell a story without the need for the music but think of early Modern English, Faith-era Cure and another band hell-bent on drumming their way into darkness, Music For Pleasure. Radio One's evening crew must have loved them and their bigger sound at this time - both Peel and Richard Skinner provided sessions (included here).
After a two-album stint at Jive Records (presumably due for a reissue at some point), Island offered up an unlikely ally in fellow Yorkshireman Robert Palmer. By now the erudite blue-eyed soulman was a hit-maker and an aficionado of the Comsats fully-developed pop-chops. In no time, Palmer had steered Island supremo Chris Blackwell in their direction and a contract preceded the recording of Chasing Shadows with the 'simply irresistible' Robert in the producer's chair. Compared to their early material, you could be forgiven for thinking this is a different band. The drums are clearer, the keyboards more to the fore and singer Fellows has developed a 'voice' that wouldn't sound amiss on Go West, Simple Minds or indeed Robert Palmer tunes. Despite these seemingly AOR/MOR comparisons, Chasing Shadows is a wholesome effort if you like shiny keyboard-driven grown-ups pop-rock. Last track Pray For Rain is a dead-ringer for a lost Talk Talk b-side. In contrast, included is the truly dreadful Dream Command project, the band's Tin Machine moment.
Ratings:
Waiting For a Miracle - ★★★★★★★★☆☆
Sleep No More - ★★★★★★★★☆☆
Fiction - ★★★★★★★☆☆☆
Chasing Shadows - ★★★★★☆☆☆☆☆
