My copy of the new Comet Gain compilation didn't have liner notes. And while it would be nice to know exactly where these rarities came from, not knowing doesn't diminish the power of The Misfit Jukebox. Instead, this Tapete Records release, out today, feels like a mix-tape made by David Christian and crew, only instead of spotlighting a bunch of obscure tunes, they are featuring their own.
This whole set is listenable in the extreme, with some numbers touching the heart almost as much as anything on any of the last few records proper from these London legends. "Only Happy When I'm Sad" is achingly beautiful and still catchy, while the lo-fi "Even This Could Be Beautiful" has a rough immediacy that makes it both catchy and poignant. An alternate version of "The Weekend Dreams" crashes through your memories of the original version from Howl of the Lonely Crowd, while a demo version of "Skinny Wolves" adds a VU-ish wooziness to the tune originally featured on Tigertown Pictures.
Nothing here on The Misfit Jukebox feels overthought. Most of these selections retain the currency of a good demo, with some of the tracks sounding a good deal more polished. "No Spotlite on Sometimes", the longest number here, is fleshed out like the best numbers from The Go-Betweens in their Tallulah phase, while "Your Just Lonely" is even tigheter and better. David Christian has a way of making it sound as if he's just seen the lyrics for the first time, or if he's trying to get them out before he changes his mind. It's a distinctive style, one that, like that of almost every number here, reminds one why this outfit remains one of the most criminally underrated bands of the last quarter century. I mean, these are so-called rejects that are so good that most contemporary bands would kill for them.
The Misfit Jukebox by Comet Gain is out today via Tapete Records.
[Photo: Phil Bower]