Comets on Fire - Avatar

Comets on Fire's follow-up to the acclaimed Blue Cathedral, Avatar, shows their continuing desire to tweak their progressive sound. The irony in their sound is that I couldn't shake the feeling I was in the '60s. The greater, while still understated, emphasis on vocals--while not necessarily impressive--adds a slightly new, intriguing twist. This is evident when they're at their best, most notably when they're more sedate and blues-like on the third track of the album, "Lucifer's Memory". For the most part, the rest of the album seems to base itself off the prominent, simple basslines of Ben Flashman, setting the stage for their countless jams. When looking back, those jams are probably the make-or-break points of the album. While these psychedelic, meandering tangents are ear-catching at first, they're instantly forgettable. All of this isn't to say Avatar should be disregarded by anyone and everyone. In fact, those classic, jam, and psych-rock lovers out there that just can't seem to let go of the good ol' days would probably enjoy this vintage sound with a modern day energetic, progressive kick to it. However, this album never really does take a hold of my consciousness. But hey, I'm sure this would be absolutely hypnotizing if I was high. [www.subpop.com]