By By Mita Tate
In 1971, British band Comus released an album that would go unnoticed by the masses for over 30 years. Comus played a unique brand of prog-infused, psych folk with Pagan themes-a genre that came to be known as “acid folk.” First Utterance is considered by many to be a benchmark album of acid folk.
Despite being poised for success with an admirable cult following (even from the likes of David Bowie) the band ran into bad luck after First Utterance was released. Because of a postal strike, the albums were unable to be shipped to many stores and the band was unable to sign contracts and book shows. Even when the album became available no one bought it and it was subsequently panned by critics. One critic was even quoted as saying “[I] didn’t even get past the first track, which sounded like a cross between a frenzied version of the witches chorus from Macbeth and Marc Bolan being squeezed to death.” Oddly enough, this is exactly how one would describe their sound–and it’s not a bad thing. It is not unlike a renaissance fair, but instead of being filled with overweight maidens dressed in their best Lord Of The Rings garb, it’s held in an enchanted forest filled with evil goblins and green fairies.
The musicianship on First Utterance rivals that of Forest, Love and even The Fairport Convention. Musically, the band combined many different genres and aspects of other bands to create their own unique sound. Spurts of Krautrock ala Faust and Spectrum can be heard on tracks like “Perpetual Motion.” At other times, Comus go on an all out prog attack, conjuring up images of King Crimson. Even more present are the psych folk elements that could fit perfectly on a Gary Higgins album. These moments, when Comus shift gears completely, are what made the band truly versatile.
While the songs may sometimes come across as whimsical, the lyrics always provide the music with darker undertones. Songs like “Drip Drip” sound like a Gothic horror story, while “The Bite” explores the mind of a disturbed soul. Rape, murder and loss are all topics discussed throughout First Utterance.
Despite the lack of success, the extremely rare LP went for upwards of $1,000 dollars. For the first time in over 30 years, their entire catalog is available to the public due to the growing popularity of artists like Devendra Banhart and Animal Collective. These artists have reinvented the genre of acid folk for a hipper, more sophisticated urban crowd and will undoubtedly garner Comus wider acclaim from fans outside of their undeservedly small cult following.