Little Comets - In search of Elusive Little Comets (Dirty Hit Ltd)
Daniel Harris | Wednesday, 12 January 2011
The musical landscape, the economic climate and modern reluctance to allow new guitar bands to develop, must have been heavy factors in Columbia's decision to drop them so soon into their deal. All went quiet with the Little Comets until late last year when they returned with an independent record deal and the excellent single 'Isles'.
Without the might of a major pushing them and mainstream radio's focus mainly on female lead electronica, it's a shame that the appropriately titled debut album 'In Search of Little Comets' isn't met with more fanfare. This is an album crammed full of ideas, passion, technical skill and enthusiasm.
That isn't to say that the album is not without foibles. Robert Coles' vocal delivery sometimes hales from a not so favourable influences of the Wombats or Razorlight. Also the risks, rhythms and subtleties demonstrated in the latter part of the album are not consistent throughout.
'Dancing Song', 'Mathilda' and closing track 'Intelligent Animals' pitch their influences away from the recent crop of UK guitar bands and more towards rhythm centric American counterparts like Vampire Weekend and Caribou. These tracks along with the very British singles 'Isles' and 'Joanna' forgive filler tracks and make this album fully deserving of a listen.
By no means a perfect debut album, but it sets the Little Comets as being ones to look out for in the future.
Rating: 3/5