Comet Gain - Broken Record Prayers

Imagine a rain-dampened Go-Betweens, or the C86 bands at their least poptimistic, and you’ll be close to the essence of the “A&B sides, new songs, session tracks and stray dogs” collected on Broken Record Prayers, Comet Gain's decade-spanning career retrospective. The music stumbles between indie-pop (You Can Hide Your Love Forever) and punk (Orwell Liberty Dance) like someone frantically trying the locked doors of a burning house, while bandleader David Feck's keenly observational lyrics evoke the emptiness that follows the dashing of romantic hopes, mining distinctly Gedge-ian territory. Yet vocalist Rachel Evans’ declaration that “We have torn ideals/Comet Gain has torn ideals” presents itself as a defiant statement of artistic intent rather than a humdrum complaint, and there’s a sense that the group find a singularly awkward release in performance. This kind of catharsis can prove a challenging listen over 74 minutes, but in small doses it’s terrifically potent. [Gillian Watson]