The Misfit Jukebox

During the isolated days of the COVID-19 pandemic, Comet Gain leader David Christian found himself with a surplus of time on his hands and embarked on a deep dive into the bands archives. The result of the effort was a series of collections of demos, lost tracks, and rarities that he posted on Bandcamp. The groups current label, Tapete, decided it made sense to skim off the cream of the crop for release, and thus 2023s The Misfit Jukebox was born. Christian found worthy material stretching back to the early days of the band and running all the way up to 2019. Its an educational, often surprising, always thrilling collection that sheds light on all incarnations of the band as well as finally setting free another song from the lost third album that didnt get finished before their late-90s split. The tender ballad "Letting Go" had already been issued on the B-side of the "Strength" single, but "Only Happy When Im Sad," which winningly melds a baggy drum loop with chiming, Aztec Camera-inspired guitars, had previously been confined to the vault. Its a fascinating clue to a mystery album that Comet Gain fans can only hope will be fully revealed someday. If the rest of the set is less revelatory, its no less interesting. Demos of favorite songs like "Fists in the Pocket" and "Skinny Wolves" are a glimpse into the creation process, and the two covers -- a bouncy traipse through the Would-Be-Goods "Pinstriped Rebel" and a raucous, garage rock take on the Godz "Like a Sparrow" -- show how good Comet Gain have always been at interpretation. Tracks rescued from small-run singles prove quite worthy of excavation: "When?!" is dancefloor-friendly garage rock, "Your Just Lonely" is a jangling folk-rock heartbreaker, and early-days gem "Goodbye Part One" joyously balances Northern Soul and C-86. The collection captures the raucous, rough-hewn side of the group on tracks like the alternate take on "Herbert Huncke, Pt. 3" and the rare single track "The Weekend Dreams"; it also delves into their quieter, more reserved songs that might skimp on the noise but definitely dont spare any emotions. "No Spotlite on Sometimes" is a fine example of this, as is 2019s home-cooked, fragile, and sweet "Even This Could Be Beautiful." That song brings the story up to date and shows that while the band have a back catalog so good that even its oft wonkily recorded rarities knock the stuffing out of most of their contemporaries best work, they are still going as strong as ever. This is essential listening for the true believers, and if one happens to chance across it by accident, its also a fine tattered-and-torn intro to a truly inspired and inspiring group. ~ Tim Sendra