The Comsat Angels - Sleep No More
#357
August 21 1981
The Comsat Angels
Sleep No More
Genre: Dark New Wave
4.5 out of 5
Highlights:
Be Brave
Gone
Dark Parade
The Comsat Angels seem to come out of nowhere in 1980 (for me, at least) and were a bit of a post-punk revelation. Their music is only available now because someone decided to upload it to YouTube and that’s a shame. This time they seem to have ventured further into a lush, nearly ambient infused sound that can at times be disturbing and other times lush and inviting. But you have to let that wash over you because it’s not easy listenin’.
While they seem to have arrived at the same time as U2 their sound is more fully formed than even Bono and the boys. No doubt these bands influenced each other. “Be Brave” could have fallen off just about any early U2 record. They are missing Edge’s singular sound and, instead, are more percussion driven but, boy does it pay off.
I will chalk up the muddiness of some of this to the transfer because I believe if we heard it the way it’s supposed to be heard, it would explode with resonance.
You put “Dark Parade” on in the middle of the night, with the lights off and follow it up with “…a psychopath” by Lisa Germano and you will have the stuff of nightmares.
In the end, while this album is majestically depressing, it is still quite the achievement.
I only listened to the original release. The link is for that plus the extended version.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A3rslOW2Qkk
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