Pitchfork

The beginning of the Comets on Fire set at Chicago's Empty Bottle this past weekend captured what I imagine the end of the world will feel like-- ears pummelled, lungs collapsed, body contorted from a constant assault of sonic booms. Simply put: fucking awesome.

The California crew played old and new material, including songs from the recently released Sub Pop LP Avatar. The first few songs showcased the Comets that most people may know: Utrillo Kushner drumming in purely menacing and spasmodic fashion, while Ethan Miller laid into his vocals and guitar like a grizzly bear-- and we ain't talkin' the pretty, Warp-signed variety either.

But when Kushner switched to keyboards, the quintet shelved the hysterics to share a newer sound heard on Avatar. With Miller's gentle vocals over the melodic spirals of distorted guitar, you probably saw a few tears in the crowd of rough-and-tumble hipsters. Simply put: beautiful. Though the audience wanted more by the time Comets finished, they were just too tired, said Miller. Understandably so; soundtracking the apocalypse is hard, people.

Fatigued or no, CoF keep truckin' next month. Dates and more photos ahead.

Comets on tour:

09-07 Cambridge, MA - Middle East
09-08 New York, NY - Knitting Factory
10-06 London, England - ICA
10-07 Nottingham, England - Boat Club
10-08 Glasgow, Scotland - Mono
10-10 Galway, Ireland - Roisin Dubh
10-11 Belfast, Northern Ireland - Auntie Annies
10-12 Dublin, Ireland - Whelans
10-22 Los Angeles, CA - Ex Plex (Arthur Nights)