Comets On Fire - Blue Cathedral

On their third album (the first for new label Sub Pop), Comets On Fire have opted to clean up their sound. Although, as this is a band who sound like a cross between Funhouse, Black Flag in their stoner jamming period and Ummagumma, employing one member solely to play the Echoplex (a delay box last used on '70s science fiction soundtracks), 'clean' is a relative concept. Certainly their patented space-grunge is tempered with a folksier edge, courtesy of John Fahey acolyte Ben Chasny (who records solo as Six Organs Of Admittance), but they still manage the neat trick of making classically-minded rock that's unafraid to skirt the outer limits.

Rating: 4 / 10