Review Summary: The underrated addition to the legendary prog folk outfit Comus' discography. If you are expecting First Utterance, Part II, then prepare to be disappointed.
Comus, the strange progressive folk outfit that has slowly gained popularity throughout the years, is best remembered for their incredible, genre-defying debut First Utterance. Its wicked, manic instrumentation and frightening vocals gave it a sound that was and still is unlike any other progressive rock or folk artists. However, when Comus released First Utterance, folk was on the decline, and their debut did not sell well enough to please their record company, and so they embarked on a quest to write a more conventional rock record. This foray into less experimental territory yielded To Keep From Crying, a more straightforward progressive rock album.
To Keep From Crying is by no means a bad album. It is generally ignored by Comus fans because it is not nearly as intricate or interesting as Comus' prior work. However, it boasts solid instrumentals like First Utterance, but with more reserve in its writing and performance. The production on this album is also excellent quality, with none of the individual instruments getting lost in the mix. The bass especially pops out, which is great because this album is heavily driven by brilliant basslines.
Beginning with "Down (Like a Movie Star)," To Keep From Crying hits the ground running, with high energy melodies sounding not at all unlike typical rock songs of the early 70's, but with some nice Comus-exclusive flourishes here and there. It then slows down going into "Touch Down," a quiet piece that evokes imagery of the dawn breaking. Side two gives us "Perpetual Motion," a song with a bouncy beat pushed by one of the best basslines on the album. The longest track on the album, "Get Yourself a Man," starts with a slow, quiet, and rather uninteresting vocal and piano section, which gradually builds into a stomping rhythm and another intricate bassline.
Despite the album's strengths, however, a number of things bog it down from being better. Roger Wootton's vocals, while brilliant on an experimental effort like First Utterance, can become grating on this record. The same can also be said for his female counterpart Bobbie Watson, whose high-pitched wails fail to evoke the same atmosphere as on a song like The Herald. This is no issue of upbeat, loud songs such as "Down (Like a Movie Star)," but is extremely noticeable on quieter tracks. Special mention for this goes to "Children of the Universe," which is very difficult to listen to due to its weak, unstable vocals.
A few of the tracks are quite uninteresting to listen to as well. "So Long Supernova" drags along slowly, and makes for a boring listen. The aforementioned "Children of the Universe" is a weak track, even without the poor vocals. The beginning half of "Get Yourself a Man" is also a chore to listen to, despite the utter brilliance of its latter half.
To Keep From Crying is a very underrated album, and it does not honestly deserve that reputation. However, when fans of Comus went into this album expecting the sequel to First Utterance, they were quite disappointed by the seemingly "radio rock" type songs of this album. However, should one go into this album with an unbiased listening mindset, one may find that To Keep From Crying is still a worthy addition to the progressive rock catalog.
