Producer/engineer, former
Bob Mould sideman, and onetime Athens, GA, punk rocker
David Barbe weighs in with an eclectic solo debut on
Comet of the Season. The opener, "Nickel a Minute," sets a somewhat deceiving tone with its thorny barroom rock, as the effort enjoys frequent flights of psychedelic abandon such as "Silver White Flash" or the lush and mopey "Soft, Distant Light" (which sounds like
Robyn Hitchcock gone slowcore). "Yr. Out," one of the finest tracks here, is bolstered by a rolling backbeat, glorious stabs of guitar, and
Barbe's
Lennon-like sneering vocal line. And these rocked-up punctuations of energy are where
Barbe succeeds most, not with the more ponderous psychedelia of the aforementioned "Soft, Distant Light" or "If Here." Nevertheless, this is a strong effort, boosted by
Barbe's considerable production and songwriting skills. ~ Erik Hage