When I first popped the Comatose Collin CD "Happy Everyday" in my car's CD player my first thought was "where is this going?" That is not a bad thing; on the contrary, it was a very good thing. It was the fact that each tune was not an exact clone of the previous that kept my interest piqued.

The Ann Arbor, Michigan band seems to have been influenced by a multitude of various artists. While listening to the CD you will find the obvious rock and indie flavor, but if you listen closely you will also hear the impact of reggae, funk, and blues in the varied tunes. These tones all blend well together, so that in one moment you have a driving bass line, the next a catchy guitar hook, then an artfully subtle drumbeat that all serve to draw you in.

There are some rough spots on the CD, however. On the first tune, "Celibate Hippo", the instrument mix about halfway in seems to overpower the vocals and left me a little wanting. This seemed really odd because the rest of the album was, for the most part, mixed solidly. Also, I felt that "Stalker Song", though a musically interesting tune, seemed to meander around looking for a hook.

Individually each of the band members could make any band better, but as a mixture, they each bring a special flavor to every song on this CD that is rarely found in modern commercial music. The vocal work of Ben Balmer is charismatic; he is able to adjust the to the feel of each song, and as such, becomes not the feature of the song, but a true part of the music. Nick Yribar's guitar work is excellent; at times a mix of blues and soul at others full-on rock. David Nestor brings bass lines that create a solid background: sometimes funky, sometimes subdued, and always spot-on for the song. Cade Sperlich's drumming never falls for the typical pitfalls of freshman drummers. He never pounds the hell out of a beat, instead providing an almost rock-jazz-like influenced rhythm that at times takes control of a song, at others providing a subtle flavor that allows for the music to take form.

Personally, my favorite songs included "The Colony", a soulfully sweet tune, the indie-rocker "Squid" (this song can be found in the below audio interview), and the blues-rock influenced "Da Jibblies" (the later song having a very strange and interesting story behind the lyrics).

All in all I really enjoyed "Happy Everyday". Comatose Collin's first CD outshines many other commercial and indie offerings available today. I would highly recommend this CD to anyone who enjoys their music like a buffet - a little bit of everything and very filling.

You can purchase "Happy Everyday" at Comatose Collin's website or CD Baby.

Download Audio Interview With Comatose Collin

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