Hella Comet – Wild Honey LP (Noise Appeal Records)

If you visited our pages yesterday, you probably had a chance to read a review I wrote about Westend, a 10″ EP by Hella Comet. It’s a three-song material consisting of one original track and two remixes, recorded and released in 2011. It’s a treat for those who demand noise rock or post-rock sound but don’t mind some electronic music maneuvers on the other side. Today, we’re continuing at the same pace, but this time I’ll talk about Wild Honey, their second full-length album released in 2013 by Noise Appeal Records. However, this material excludes any electro remixes, so if you’re up for an ear-appealing noise-rock ride, feel free to hop in.

Everything about Wild Honey looks and sounds divine. Noise Appeal Records and Hella Comet paid a lot of attention to the packaging, so even the protective PVC vinyl sleeve has printed lettering. The entire visual identity is a clever play of photography and colors, so if you like artsy stuff, Wild Honey will be right up your alley. As usual, Hella Comet thought about every maneuver included in this ear-appealing sonic journey. It may sound like a bit too much to some inexperienced ears. However, if you focus on all the themes, segments, sequences, accentuations, arrangements, and other significant details, you’ll notice that Hella Comet constructed a powerful album built upon many excellent moments. The band unquestionably worked a lot on these compositions, and their effort paid off in nine superb songs full of many mind-blowing surprises.

As a guitar player, the first thing I caught are incredible ideas performed through cleverly assembled chord progressions and riffs. You’ll hear how all the vocal harmonies merge with the themes, melodies, and other orchestrations delivered by flawless guitar performance. Of course, the remainder of the group resonates with the same power. Nothing would sound so massive without equally detailed basslines and immensely dynamic rhythmic performance. Perhaps Hella Comet used noise rock as a starting point, but you’ll also notice some similarities with alternative, indie rock, post-rock, shoegaze, dream pop, and other complementary music genres. Wild Honey sounds fresh and unique almost ten years after its initial release, and you should check it out immediately if you’re into some of the genres I mentioned above. Wild Honey is still available as a part of the Hella Comet vinyl bundle, so head to Noise Appeal Records and grab this gem.