Coma Beach – “Another Song”

Coma Beach – “Another Song” – Single Review

Well hell…it’d be hard to not agree with the title of this track – it is indeed, “Another Song.”

Here’s where the ol’ proverbial rubber meets the road dear readers, dear friends.  If you’ve been reading our pages as of late, you know I’ve had some pretty damn good things to say about the music of Coma Beach, the band of Punks based outta Germany way over on the other side of the world from where I am over here in Canada.  But what if I told you (*spoiler alert) that (*okay, it’s not really a spoiler if you read these pages regularly) I wasn’t so much saying Coma Beach was amazing, but that I was just being my normal, everyday, honest and objective self when critiquing the music coming outta my speakers?  Don’t get me wrong – I think these guys have got some great material and they seem like they might be even better people when it comes right down to it – but my responsibility has always been to simply call things like they are, full stop.  So when I get songs like “Nothing Right” and “Jesus’ Tears” – all they’ve done, is make my job a whole lot easier, you know what I mean?  Those were great tunes!  Trust me – I want nothing more than to support ALL of you that come through this site of ours – but the way I’ve always done that is through that same honesty and objectivity I was referring to earlier.  So when something drifts wide of the mark, guess what I have to do?  Anyone?  You in the back – whaddya think?  Be just as honest?  That’s correct!

So…yeah man…I gotta call things how I hear’em and say that “Another Song” really ain’t the jam for me.  Part of that’s on them, and part of that’s on me – I’m willing to split the blame here, and of course, I’m not suggesting that everything is necessarily ALL bad…lemme explain.  First, I’ll take on the role of the villain here and suggest that the largest part of the reason that I’m not into “Another Song” is because this single from Coma Beach shifts way further towards something you’d expect to hear from the Violent Femmes, and that just ain’t where I’m at personally…can’t stand that band, and I’ve never been a fan.  Obviously, that’s not Coma Beach’s fault…that’s not something that can be helped…that’s just a personal taste thing that’s on my end of the equation, and I can’t rightly fault them for something like that.  But yeah…have a listen to “Another Song” and if you’re well versed in your music history, you’ll know what I’m talking about by bringing up the Violent Femmes as the main comparison here this time.

Anyhow.  So what if I don’t love something?  I’m just one person, and honestly who gives two wipes of a shit about what I think anyway?  Execution-wise, while I might not love the sound of “Another Song” myself, the band is still doing all the right things and there’s not a whole lot to complain about when it comes to how this single is sung or played…all that stuff checks out and they’re doing the right things.  My complaints are surface-level stylistic choices, and that’s on me – the objective reviewer in me would be the first to admit that none of that matters.  The call & answer design that Coma Beach incorporates into this track is effective, and stylistically, I’d presume they nailed the exact sound they were actually going for, because to be this close to something the Violent Femmes would do would be pretty damn coincidental if it wasn’t intentional, you feel me?  “Another Song” doesn’t sound particularly challenging to the band if I’m being completely real with ya, but that’s another thing that music doesn’t HAVE to be – there are no rules of course, but it is noticeable when a band or artist tends to go a bit on autopilot.  I’m not suggesting this might still not have been difficult in some ways, all I’m saying is that I know full well that a band with capabilities like Coma Beach has wouldn’t exactly struggle with creating a song like this one.  If that makes me the bad guy for pointing that out, again, so be it…I’m familiar with the role.

Where I have my biggest issues with “Another Song” is in a couple of spots.  One being that I feel like the material itself is really missing that inspired spark that would make it memorable and/or identifiable to Coma Beach…as in, it doesn’t quite have that audible ingredient that would keep us coming back, and I’m not hearing a whole lot that specifically makes this feel like it’s Coma Beach and not somebody else.  I really like the guitar work on the way into the song, but that’s a very small fraction of this single overall.  Still, credit where credit is due – Captain A. Fear’s sprawling lead tones did get me excited about where this could go originally, and man, what I wouldn’t have given to hear the guy get another round of that goin’ on in a solo somewhere later on as the song carried on.  Vocally, I like what I hear from B. Kafka sound-wise in the lead, and I don’t mind the call & answer style of approach when it works well like this either.  Lyrically…I’m just not a huge fan of what they’ve got on paper here this time around.  As I’m sure I would have mentioned in one of the other reviews, they’re exceptional communicators and they’re crushing it in English whereas I’d be the absolute worst ever if I tried to communicate in any other language, German, French, Italian, Latin…it don’t matter…you name it, and I’d be useless in using it.  So I give them a lot of credit for how fluent they’ve been in the past singles I’ve been checking out lately, but I can’t get behind what they’ve got goin’ on with “Another Song” lyrically.  My issues are mainly found in the ‘answer’ part of the call & answer formula…lines like “enjoy the show stop feeling low” or “forget your pain and get insane” or “just reach the top and never stop” – every single one of these lines feels forced and a highlight example of saying something & absolutely nothing at the very same time.  To be completely honest with ya, Coma Beach has proven to consider their words, themes, and material so much in what I’ve heard so far, that this single kind of took me aback a little…because those same lines seem like prime examples of not really saying what you mean in exchange for rhythmic fluidity and adhering to a strict rhyme scheme instead.  Not really a bad move if we’re talking about singing along and accessibility when it comes to the masses that are tuning in – but yeah…a little surprising for a band that has produced such well thought-out, meaningful and measured words in the past material that I’ve heard.  Even some of the lead suffers a bit here – “another beach just out of reach?”  What are we doin’ here boys?  Is this rhyme time with Coma Beach?  There are redeeming elements found in all three verses when it comes right down to it, but also lines in each one that I’d question too…they just don’t really seem as potent or poignant as I know the band is capable of creating on “Another Song” is all.

Sometimes that’s how it goes y’all.  Like Primus once reminded us, “they can’t all be zingers,” right?  The band is still capable…I still think they’re great guys to cross paths with…I’m still confident that they’re great at what they do too – this one just wasn’t for me.  If it’s for you, then right on – same as always, you get nothing but a high five from me and my encouragement to turn up the music you truly love to listen to.  Just so happens this time around they can’t really escape having a comparable sound to a band that is like my own sonic Achilles Heel…here’s to hoping that next one leans more towards my own personal taste.  Not a requirement of course, ever…but it is kinda nice when y’all make my job easy for me…because I always wanna support ya, but my only responsibility remains to be as straightforward and honest with ya about what works & what doesn’t from my perspective…that’s how I help the scene best.  Considering that they were going for a song that takes “a good harsh look at the absurdities and cruelties of everyday life” with an “unnamed antihero” that “resorts to sarcasm and cynicism in order to cope with what he regards as the utter meaninglessness of human existence” – this track might in fact, be too much on target in order to separate their intentions from the reality of sounding kinda grim.

Find more music from Coma Beach at Soundcloud here:  https://soundcloud.com/comabeach

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