Comet Gain

Mod revivals are as frequent and regular as the rediscovery of the miniskirt. Every 10 years or so, some British punter gets it into his head to infuse rock songs with soul shouts, choppy guitars, and buoyant dance rhythms. Then he runs out and buys a Vespa scooter and a parka, and the next thing you know, England's dreaming of mod all over again. But the ultimate irony -- one that U.K. group Comet Gain understands -- is that "mod" was originally short for "modern." The seminal groups like the Who and Small Faces were far more into making a better present than re-creating a bygone past.

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More About

• David Feck
• Vespa Scooters
• Kathleen Hanna
• Chris Appelgren
• Fashion and Style

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With Comet Gain's fourth album, Réalistes, leader David Feck seems out to prove that, unlike past mod revivalists, he's not living in some throwback fantasy. Instead, he looks at mod as an extension of an ever-changing, revolutionary aesthetic. (Embracing such fluidity, Comet Gain borrowed the Pattern's vocalist, Chris Appelgren, as its temporary drummer on the record and called upon Le Tigre vocalist Kathleen Hanna and members of the Aislers Set for help.)

In the same spirit, Comet Gain infuses mod music with a fluctuating set of musical references that range from folk rock to new wave to Krautrock, while leaving out the standard ska and dub influences. "Moments in the Snow" combines Feck's spoken word with guitar that's both jangly and dissonant. "Don't Fall in Love If You Want to Die in Peace" mixes musical styles with abandon, swiping '80s synths and acoustic riffs as Rachel Evans sings, "Stare at the sky through Bob Dylan's eyes/ Just another baby blue that will break you/ Save you and mistake you/ Believe in you and deceive you." Meanwhile, classic mod trademarks such as the brisk Motown beat of the "The Kids at the Club" and the soulful brass on "Labour" get a messier, lo-fi spin than usual.

Comet Gain truly comes to life on Réalistes' garage-punk songs. Driven by primal chord progressions and a murky wash of distortion, tunes like "My Defiance" and "Ripped Up Suit!" spin the furthest away from mod's past, toward an anarchy with no exact precedent.

Feck knows he's not inventing the wheel here. But by letting the ragged edges and noisy underpinnings of his music show, he's made an occasionally difficult, eventually rewarding bulletin about the state of mod today.