Comet (Chris Harford): " Why Won't You Play Us a Song?"
Written: Dec 20 '08 (Updated Jan 13 '09)
Product Rating:
Pros: Atmosphere, musicianship, truths.
Cons: Short and concise for those that hate brevity.
The Bottom Line: Songs of the inner turmoil and emotional nuances found in everyman: impressionistic snippets of the larger truths we all face: mortality, disappointments, love and laughter, addictions, connections and partings. Concise.
Being popular in the music industry isn't what it used to be, and with the current lengthening malaise affecting the industry, it's sort of cool that certain artists can go off on their own and maintain a measure of success, no matter how they define it. I have long wondered about the artists who fall between the cracks of the larger system. Are they any less valid simply because the music industry is actively ignoring them?
Thankfully, in this age of the Internet and the evolving ability of independent artists to release material on their own outside the music industry definition of popular, some artists are able to strike a blow for artistic merits outside a record company's purely commercial considerations. This is somewhat reminiscent of the early 1980s when the do-it-yourself (DIY) ethos took form with artists' releasing their own cassettes and mixtapes and vinyl singles, and EPs before the larger companies came calling. Independent record stores (RIP) went a long way towards creating some buzz as well.
Today, the Internet has made it possible for musicians to sustain themselves outside that larger record company universe, with touring, blogs, Web sites, online stores, and the digital download. The Internet makes music far more accessible and available more quickly. No more waiting for the buzz to form, take shape, and get mentioned in a magazine. Do-it-yourself with a web page and a You-Tube video. E-mail and post buzz notes on a discussion board.
Best of all, some of these artists' even offer vinyl. Yes, vinyl, baby.
Do you wonder what this place is like I do? Do you second guess at all? I've been told that I belong here but that's Not the way I feel From "Second Guessing"
Chris Harford (b. 1960) has been there and done that. He had a major label debut (Be Headed on Elektra Records in 1992) and then promptly was ignored. So he did it his own way, founding the label Black Shepherd to release his own stuff (He renamed it Soul Selects a few years later).
I have been a fan of his since I first heard Unsaid Things playing in one of my old record store haunts. Harford's best songs have the ability to burrow into your skin and stay there. "Unsaid Things" is one of his many inner radio songs I have percolating around my brain; kind of like a musical ear whig.
When you go to sleep do you dream of what is to come? Sleep my child sleep, you are alone but we are one. From "Satellite Angel"
Comet is the album Harford put out (in 1997-1998) after his major label disappointment and was his first independent release (6 more have followed). Recorded over a ten-year span, Comet retains its cohesiveness and features some of the emotional clarity found in Harford's best works. At less than 40 minutes, it may have been meant for the vinyl bins over the CD's time excess. A couple of good songs over a short time period are a far better choice than an album that refuses to end. With Chris Harford, conciseness is a virtue. (four stars) If I can listen I can hear If I can hold I can let go If I can try I can begin If thy will, will be done. From "Raise the White Flag"
Harford, Jersey born and raised, has a real talent for writing about the inner turmoil and emotional nuances found in everyman. There is a decided heart on his sleeve mentality in his songs, but his characters, fueled with autobiographical shadings, bleed, cry, and suffer just like the listener. He writes impressionistic pieces, snippets of the larger truths we all face: mortality, disappointments, love and laughter, addictions, connections and partings. Some of Harford's best songs skirt the edges of melancholia with observations that are matter-of-fact depictions of personal struggle.
Harford wrote and produced Comet with a long-time group of musicians he calls the Band of Changes; a group of ever-evolving players that turn up throughout his career; some as guests, others as long-time touring partners. The result is that his records have a looseness that aids in the atmosphere of the songs. His arrangements feature a wealth of instruments and influences: rock outbursts, folk changes, country twang, and more.
Musicians Chris Harford (vocals, electric and acoustic guitars, bass, drums, piano, thumb piano, tambourine) with Claude Coleman, Jr. (drums) , Ed Wilson (lap steel guitar), Malcolm Burn (piano), Kevin Salem (lead electric guitar), Sim Cain (talking drums, vibes), Dave Dunton (piano), Lorraine Bowen (clarinet), Matt Sweeney (lead electric guitar), Dave Driewitz (upright bass), Wilbo Wright (upright bass), Jason Jones (drums), Robin Zrm (accordion), Robin O'Brien (vocals), and Brian Mueller (violin).
Tracks (Year) 1. Satellite Angel (1993) 2. Dying to Be Free (1991) 3. Raise the White Flag (1991) 4. Far Off Mother Earth (1989) 5. Arthur (1991) 6. Long Time Friend Gone (1994) 7. Kiss You (1989) 8. Milestone (1991) 9. Second Guessing (1989) Total Time: 37:19 Produced by Chris Harford
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