It's said that persistence wears down resistance, and after sending me about 5 or 6 different packages containing the same CD, I figured I should give Comiskey the same chance I give recordings I'm seriously excited about. Not that I'm ever not excited to open up a package for review, but it seems the music sent to me is either uninteresting, boring, or I simply don't have the time. Now, while those are all poor excuses, the fact simply remains that I'd rather spotlight new music I'm really really into, rather than write about how mediocre every Tom, Dick, and Harry's bedroom noise-pop project is. And that's exactly what I was expecting every time I opened up one of Comiskey's packages.
Black-and-white art printed on an 11 x 8.5 sheet of regular computer paper and held together with tape simply doesn't catch the eye, even though I'm pretty sure we've all done it at some point. Still, there remains an honest and charming quality in homemade packaging, and it's the same quality that really makes Relays transcend above the average bedroom laptop project. Comiskey's Relays sounds like equal parts Boards of Canada, Fat John the Ample Soul Physician, and Autechre. It's at once relaxing and anxious, stoned and focused, minimal and complex. The best part is that it's only Comiskey's second EP, and it's already a huge improvement over his first, which leads me to wonder where the future will take this destined-to-be prolific project. The worst part about this EP is how short it is, at just under 16 minutes, it feels rushed, almost as though Comiskey was worried about his music sounding boring or repetitive. The tracks don't have time to breathe, which does add to that aforementioned anxiety, though I really feel it is more of a hindrance than an asset.
All said and done, I think everyone should check out the avant-downtempo jams located deep inside the ghetto of Relays, and if you're ever around the Denver area, keep an eye on the local gigs and an ear to the bedroom windows late at night. Oh and while you're at it, visit Comiskey online where you can download all of his recordings for free. Maybe he'll even send you a CD.
[Comiskey Soundcloud]
[Stream/Download Relays from Comiskey]
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