Comus – First Utterance (1971)

It’s been said that an image is worth a thousand words and I’ve been told that some folks tend to judge a book by it’s cover. As you can see, the album art of Comus debut album, First Utterance, depicts a creep looking pseudo-man wolf creature that’s in a world of hurt. If I were to judge the album on this alone (hint: I totally did) then I guess I can expect some sort of creepy, haunting tunes. First Utterance delivers and then some in that respect. It’s the sort of record that, after spinning it, you sort of just sit down for a moment and think to yourself “what in the world did I just listen to?”. I think I just listened to some bizarre progressive folk.

Perhaps the greatest thing that this album has to offer is the lament of the violin, which is featured on most of the tracks. Coupled with the wavering vocals and harmonious chants, First Utterance is an unnerving first listen to say the least. The first track, “Diana”, is a frantic little diddy about a gal named Diana that’s driven by the violin chords and features what sounds to me like a bongo drum solo. The two headed monster that is “Drip Drip Drip” followed by “Song to Comus” is sure to give you goose bumps, or your money back (guaransheed).

Check it out if you’re a fan of quality tunes.

Link: Coming soon

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