Comet Gain

The well from which these C86 bands sprung ran deep; I think I could spend a lifetime listening to them and never make it through more than half.


But Comet Gain can't really be put in that bucket. They formed after peak twee, at a time when Brit-pop was on the rise, when the nervy and the crass was preferred over the bookish and the sweet. Perhaps it's for this reason they stuck around so very long; they weren't à la mode then and, as a result, never had the expectation of being fashionable put on them. In fact, they're still with us now, and they have a new LP out soon.

This first album, which Wiiija released in 1995, is my favorite from their catalog, and "Stay with Me Till Morning" is my favorite track off it. The springy, wandering guitar and wet-with-vibrato organ collide to create something that reminds me of Camera Obscura at their happiest and most cleareyed.

Listen to everything, though. Not a dud in the bunch.