The Comsat Angels >> They swim in the tide of galaxies

The Comsat Angels - "I Come From The Sun"
(Thunderbird Records / Normal Records / Crisis Records / Caroline Records, 1992)

The Comsat Angels quietly stormed back with this song on their album My Mind's Eye, a full decade after wrapping up their initial run of three classic albums over the span of 1980-82.  And by "stormed back," I mean "sold even fewer records than they did in their '80s artistic heyday and were ignored by most of the press in their own native England."  This smolderingly celestial track is prime proof of why you should never write off a great band.  (And hey, it only took Miles Davis 25 years to fully hit his stride, right?)  In terms of lyrical prowess, Steve Fellows is one of the all-time greats in my opinion.  An excerpt from this song: "In fiery arms Andromeda will take you far beyond the mortal sea of storms / In winter constellations ever wander and never go home."  There's no way a young-ass band could've created a song like this, though Slowdive were admittedly fresh out of high school when they were tearing shit up in the early '90s.  I wonder if Verve's "Man Called Sun" was influenced by this song, or vice versa; probably neither, since they both came out at about the same time, but both songs are equally mesmerizing.  (Note: This is an mp3 I got in 2005, hence it's not from the recently-remastered version of this album.  So I'd recommend buying the remastered version.)
Not much else to say here, other than you should go buy the Comsats' second album, Sleep No More, and I'm pretty much skipping Mardi Gras this year, and two words describe yesterday: AIR CONDITIONING... finally.  There was also sort of a surreal scene yesterday wherein I was trimming my big holly tree away from the A/C unit with a chainsaw and a hand saw while several dozen (>100?) bees were buzzing all over it on its new flowers.  Yes, spring has come very early here this year.  The whole pear-shaped tree was literally humming like a hive; I actually assumed there was a hive inside it at first.  But I didn't want to put the chore off like I usually do with any chore, so I just carefully removed some branches over about a 30-minute span.  The danger element was kind of erotic in a way, being so close to potential pain, though I'm not allergic to bee stings, so I didn't have a death wish or anything.   The bees and I had a tacit agreement to not cross each other's boundaries.  The little dudes went about their business, sometimes even brushing up against my face and arms while rushing towards me in fiendishly sporadic blitzes.  Someone ought to write a book like J.G. Ballard's Crash, but involving bees instead of car crashes.  It could even quite easily be fashioned into a snuff film, if that's what Hollywood demands this month.  And hey, when I was done, I had a big pile of... holly wood, so that must've been an omen.  I will try not to have as many nature-related anecdotes on here in the future, but like I said, it's springtime, so get used to it.

Planets with similar climates: Swervedriver - "Duress" (1993), Poem Rocket - "Dirigible" (2000), Gang Of Four - "The History Of The World" (1982), Cocteau Twins - "Road, RIver And Rail" (1990), Cush - "Porpoise" (2000), Verve - "Man Called Sun" (1992), Massive Internal Complications - "Strawberry Wine" (~1994), Simple Minds - "Someone Somewhere In Summertime" (1981).

One of several sculptures of Andromeda (Andromède) by Auguste Rodin

Currently reading: Peter Everett - Negatives; Raymond Carver - Where I'm Calling From (short stories)
Currently eating or drinking: Lean Cuisine Spinach, Artichoke & Chicken Panini (2 today); Silk Pure Coconut coconut milk (Plain & Vanilla)