THE COMA LILIES: The Coma Lilies

The Coma Lilies

The Coma Lilies

© 2004 The Coma Lilies (783707878027)

CD IN STOCK. ORDER NOW. Will ship immediately.

(About MP3 downloads at CD Baby)

Dark, electronically influenced, instrumental rock band.

tracks

1 Grab A Fork Micron
2 Have Fun At Your War
3 My First Big Sale
4 Peggy Sue
5 One Day He Will Disappear
6 The Antibody
7 I Am Spartacus, part one
8 I Am Spartacus, part two
9 Fin

notes

YOU SHOULD ALSO CHECK OUT THE COMA LILIES' BRAND NEW EP MEMENTO MORI---OUT NOW!
The Coma Lilies are Michael Spector, Gabe Katz, Hunter Ellis, Asher Katz, and Brian Kincaid. The Coma Lilies are recording a new CD right now (August ,2005) and it should be finished in the next month or two. In May of this year, they went on a small tour of Southern California and hope to tour again in the fall. The Coma Lilies have been playing shows since April 18th, 2003 and they have a large local following. The band has successfully organized and executed four small tours of California, and another to Portland, Oregon. The Coma Lilies are from Sonoma County, CA, and hope to live somewhere else relatively soon. Furthermore, Calvin and Hobbes is by far the best comic strip in funnies history.


Here's a review:
There's little that can be more confounding to a reviewer than the schizophrenic whirl of styles and rhythms that The Coma Lilies use as an introduction to their debut album. Opener "Grab a Fork Micron" seamlessly stitches ruthlessly precise percussion to textured guitar lines, impatiently veering from mathematic polyrhythms to metronomic cymbal splashes with aggressive, hook-packed restlessness. Such evasive stylistic variation makes pinning references on this horse futile; the closest approximation of their sound, albeit more in atmosphere than technique, would be Modest Mouse's The Moon and Antarctica on amphetamines, crossed with Isis's theatricality and distorted assaults.
Vocals are nearly non-existent; the group moves through challenging collage pieces with listless energy, keeping melodic ideas intact in their instrumental transitions. Their success rests largely on the presence or palpable non-presence of drummer Gabe Katz, who is as comfortable riddling the walls with shifting snare fire as he is inflecting an occasional cymbal whisper onto the group's more atmospheric compositions. Sometimes he steps entirely off-stage, leaving the focus on his multi-talented bandmates as they exchange keyboard, electric guitar, and bass lines in almost effortless melodic concoctions.

At these moments, the album caresses the ears like velvet -- witness the complex harmonic coordination of guitars and bass that form the honeyed "My First Big Sale". Then, without a second thought, these theory-philes slither their way into a cataclysmic assault on "One Day He Will Disappear", pouring a gigawatt of power into its distorted, snaking riffs and murderous rhythm. The group's ethic is occasionally alienating; its obsession with technical prowess and songwriting complexity can come across as clinical. But there are enough delicate moments here, as on the slowly considered, peaceful "I am Spartacus, Part One", to balance The Coma Lilies' cold technical ambition with instrumental warmth.

Unlike many bands employing the typical post-rock formula -- overbearing tension built to inevitable cathartic release -- The Coma Lilies are content to let tension sit unresolved, crackling with potency. For all the time it threatens to burst into a supernova of crashing guitar explosions and machine-gun drum patterns, "Peggy Sue" never indulges in a bombastic finale, instead demonstrating remarkable restraint. The smooth delicacy of (pretentiously titled) closer "Fin" ends the album on a soft landing of keyboards and lilting guitars, emphasizing exactly how much The Coma Lilies can sit tight with clear tones and gentle beauty rather than earth-shaking power. Not that they're afraid to use it -- they just don't need to flaunt it.

It's frankly refreshing to encounter this amount of fearlessness when it comes to rhythm, chord changes and harmonic experimentation in post-rock. The only question is where can the group go from here? With such immense density of sound, all The Coma Lilies have left to do is downgrade their execution -- that, or risk becoming hopelessly technical and inscrutable. If nothing else, it's testament to the profound complexity of this self-titled powerhouse.
-- Amir Karim Nezar
(SPLENDID Magazine http://www.splendidezine.com/)

"Guys,

Thanks for the CD...it's real nice. I checked it out
to and from the city yesterday. That first track
rocks! It's like (I hope you don't hate this
description) 80's era Metallica if they went
prog...and I mean that in a really good way.
Yeah, I'll have to reach out to Mike Patton, I know
he's been trying to get ahold of me for awhile.
Thanks again for the CD, I'll keep you guys in mind as
I start my next record...never know when I might need
some live stuff put down.

Best,

-Josh (DJ Shadow)"



MishMash Reviews:
The Coma Lilies -The Coma Lilies: Off the Beaten Path
"When I first put this disc in, I was reminded of the early days of 80's icons, The Cure. The music evolved into something that was frustratingly, yet admirably, hard to define. The aggressive guitars and driving rhythms on the first track, Grab a Fork Micron, gave way to an almost anthemic lullaby in Have fun at your war. The soaring Spartacus parts 1 & 2 built to an almost surrealistic crescendo before ending the disc with the gentle Fin. The subtle, yet intricate guitar work on the rest of the disc had an enchanting quality to it and the arrangements and the mix of the guitar with the keyboard and synths was masterful. Let me say that I'm not a huge fan of all instrumental music, but the Coma Lilies know their art and have produced a disc to be proud of. "

"Think Mum, Mogwai, and Aphex Twin.  Think of every band you ever thought sounded better while sitting in the corner of a dark room with a bottle of Jack Daniels.  Think of instrumental rock music that is melodic and based in electronics.  Think of music that never gets old.  Think of the Coma Lilies.
A band that is vocal-free and better for it, the Coma Lilies are a group that pride themselves on the excellent craft-work of their songs.  Creating quirky drum rhythms that ascend and descend at just the right times, guitar lines that are both original and catchy, and an overall sound that is engaging, varied and interesting, the Coma Lilies have succeeded in becoming a band that works as a unit.  With signature bass lines that are fun, intricate, and enjoyable carefully juxtaposed against keyboards that are spacey, somber, and beautiful, the Coma Lilies blend all the elements that are essential to making good music: skill, energy, variety, and vision.
Combining innovative instrumentation with highly stylized, picturesque soundscapes, the new self-titled Coma Lilies album is a decadent, dark, and soulful piece the listener will never tire of.  An album that builds each song with perfect transitions and great ease, the album flows wonderfully while each song retains its own unique sound and special place.  While very well put together, the album is filled with experimentation and the different directions the songs take on are refreshing.
There are several stand out songs on the new Coma Lilies release.  'Peggy Sue' is an example of an amazingly constructed piece which contains virtuosic violin playing, soft yet enveloping guitar lines, and climactic, multi-faceted drumming.  Technically stunning, beautifully executed, and extremely memorable, this track is a testament to the incredible musical abilities that the Coma Lilies possess, and more importantly, a piece that grows more and more interesting with each repeated listen.  'One Day He Will Disappear' is another song that is particularly grabbing.  The song contains haunting and eerie keyboards, ominous guitar lines, and low, reverberating bass lines.  A dark piece fit for an extremely suspenseful sequence in a film, this track draws you in with its layered instrumentation, building guitar, bass, and drum lines, and the overall way the song bombards you with sound.  The perfect follow up to 'Peggy Sue', 'One Day He Will Disappear' is an impressive and well written piece that echoes and is truly lasting.
The new Coma Lilies release is a unified and captivating album.  Creating its own definitive sound with lengthy melodies, elaborate and intricate compositions, and the strong presence provided by each and every musician on this album, The Coma Lilies made an album that I am proud to have had the opportunity to listen to."

-Michelle Threadgould


"The Coma Lilies have an ambient yet edgy sound that falls somewhere in the realm of 'My Bloody Valentine', 'Three Mile Pilot', and 'metallica's' most lucid instrumental. A perfect soundtrack for a chaotic world."

Ross's Picks--Incredible Records

reviews

Please log in to review this album.

  • Fucking Awesome!!!
    author: Janice

    This CD is totally awesome. I love the Coma Lilies. My favorite songs are "Grab A Fork Micron", followed by "Peggy Sue". I went to a show of theirs awhile ago and when they played "Peggy Sue" it was so fucking great that my best friend cried. This music is wonderful and not cluttered by lyrics. The Coma Lilies are one of my favortie bands. I can't wait for the next CD to come out. The Coma Lilies are the best thing ever...everyone should buy their CD.

  • Best music in ten years!!!
    author: Anna The Great

    This CD contains some of the greatest music that I've heard in at least ten years. Lately, new music has been quite a disappointement, however this CD's tracks give me faith in new music again. My favorite songs are "Grab A Fork Micron" and "Peggy Sue". One of my best friends cried when "Peggy Sue" was played at one of The Coma Lilies' recent shows(that's how good this stuff is). I would give this CD more than 5 stars if i could but this lame-ass computer will only let me put up to 5.

  • awesome!!!
    author: Ashley

    The Coma Lilies rock my socks off!! I've seen them in concert a few times at Clo's but always forgot to bring extra money to buy a cd. I sooo excited that I finally bought it and I've listened to it a bagillion times already. I'd have to say that my favorite song on this cd is Grab a Fork Micron...awesome!!!

  • CD great-live show GENIUS!
    author: louie prima

    the coma lilies cd is unbelievable, i totally love it, i listen to it every day. there are things about it that aren't so great, but %90 of this CD is revolutionary rock perfections. what must be known about the coma lilies, is that they progress at a rate I have never seen a band progress. if you see the band play the songs from this cd live, they have improved them and revised them to an unbelievable level. some songs that are done acoustically and quiet style, are performed fast and loud with drums and it's very exciting to see the new improved arrangements. from seeing them live I have become convinced that this band WILL one day ruIethe world. a lot of people group them in with mogwai and sigur ros and explosions in the sky, personally think the coma lilies already have those bands beat by a long shot, and i think the future of the coma lilies will be truly something. this 43 minute cd is $10 well spent.

  • Buy this CD or FEEL MY WRATH!!! GRRRRRR!!!!!!!
    author: Painkiller

    Awsome CD great thinking, and hanging around music, buy this F****** CD or feel my wrath, this $h!+ ROCKS!!!

  • Excellent debut. What is most exciting is where they will go.
    author: Smithee

    i thought the first coma lilies cd was smart,well crafted and beautiful. Certainly in need of development, but highly enjoyable and at times magnificent. Aside from being compositionally superior to the old coma lilies CD, The self titled release improves on the last CD by finding an emotional spectrum that seems more comfortable to theCL. In places on the last release the sound is exuberant, cheerful, sometimes joyful, but the newest cd is wholistically darker than before. At no point on the new CD is there a moment as comparably cheerful to that of the Gnome Song or Clamp. I would credit this to the fact that I believe this cd is politically oriented, and there is no room for cheer and joy in regards to our political climate at this point, so I understand where they are coming from. "One Day He Will Disappear" I recently learned is a sentence in 1984,(run it through google) which, followed by the unsettling interlude "the antibody", becomes obviously meaningful. I Am Spartacus is the best protest song I've heard come out of this revolution. the self titled comalilies cd has its rough spots, but it also has some of the most exciting music there has been in a long time. this band is worth your time.

  • THIS CD IS AMAZING.
    author: OrchidThief.

    I have never heard a drummer like this before. Gabe Katz;s unbelievably skillfull and unique drumming paired with hauntingly beautiful guitar and keyboard work makes quite an amazing sound. The Coma Lilies are a very exciting band, I'm glad I have discovered them so early in their ascent to fame and fortune. I musst say again, the drumming heard on this CD is painfully brilliant, this guy has a very serious gift.... listen up.

  • Beyond words
    author: Glenn E

    To put it quite simply, this is the best CD I have ever heard. Period. It blows the mind to think that these guys are in high school. Their talent is remakable. This CD goes beyond words, buy it now, you will NOT regret it.

  • listen to me I'm jesus
    author: jesus

    you guys need to listen to me,... I'm freakin' god's son. you need to buy this CD it is f******* awsome you have got to believe. it's better than breathing.

  • Best CD of 2004
    author: Garret

    Few albums are this well crafted and beautiful, it is almost ridiculous to believe that this music was made by 17 year olds. Each song flows seamlessly into the next, somehow melding the themes of each piece into a brilliant symmetrical landscape of sound. This release is its own planet. I Am Spartacus is one of the most powerful pieces of music I have ever heard, likewise for Have Fun At Your War, and the shockingly brilliant, Fin. These tracks are merely the tracks that spring to mind as I am writing this, since I've gotten the CD, every song has been a favorite of mine at one point or another. There really is no one else quite like the Coma Lilies, they may draw comparisons to other postrock bands like Mogwai and such, but to me it seems like they're are attempting and achieving something altogether greater than bands associated with the genre have before. This is a magnificent work of art that deserves your attention.

  • Hot Damn At Last!
    author: The Mongrel Cat

    I bought this cd from this site and I love it. I heard about this band from a friend's friend who I think knows one of them. Dam I'd like to meet these boys. They are brilliant. Their music does exactly what I want it to when I want it to. It is rare when music does that. I think I want to become The Coma Lilies' biggest fan. Too bad I'm not a girl and can't be their groupie (unless they like boys.....hmmmm). Anyway, this cd is comparable to any of the great records of all time. Now, I know that sounds liek a huge exaggeration, but its really not. A good cd is jam packed with feeling, talent, energy, and beauty. This has it all. The fact that this band is instrumental only adds to their wonderful compositions. Truly a great buy and I highly reccomend it.

  • This CD is addictive!
    author: mike

    The music of the coma lilies is genius. i am consumed by this cD. It does everything I want a cd to do. this album is a milestone

  • Musical paintings!
    author: Joan Spelling

    If you listen to this cd three times you will be mesmerized and a lifetime fan. The musicians create a story with each song, Without words- there are obviously too many of THOSE around these days, you are carried along,hearing- and in many ways seeing all the story's elements- a story of THIS war for example, better told without words, and the love story of a swaggering teen and the achingly beautiful Peggy Sue- the arcing, longing sweetness of teenage love and loss. Want fascinating beauty that rocks? Listen to this one!

  • Terrific - The Best Ever
    author: Bill & Jackie

    Mesmerizing! Artistic!

  • This is fantastic. I love this CD and I'm '50 something'!
    author: Carol Signore

    This CD may have been started in high school but it's sometimes haunting, sometimes lively melodies will appeal to a huge variety of people across the generations. Long may the Coma Lillies live and prosper! Keep the mucic coming.

  • BEST CD EVER
    author: News Paper Guy

    THIS CD IS FREAKING AMAZING. CERTAIN PARTS OF IT MAKE ME TRAVEL TO ANOTHER FREAKING WORLD. ITS LIKE HAVIND SEX, JUST WITHOUT THE OTHER PERSON. IT IS TRULY PERFECTION IN MUSIC. I LISTEN TO IT EVERYDAY AND STILL LOVE EVERY SONG. DEFINETLY NOT A WASTE OF 11 BUCKS.

  • The ultimate eargasm of fantastic beauty!
    author: Jonah

    A friend of mine told me to get this CD. As soon as I heard it I felt like the world was my oyster. This album speaks to every individual who has the caliber to listen to great music. It is only appropriate that the Coma Lilies don't have a singer because this music is indescribable by words. This band deserves the recognition that Bill and Ted's band, Wild Stallion, recieved... and more!

  • yum
    author: emily

    All I can say about this beautiful cd is that it's the kind of music that clicks...when one theme flows into the other, it's the most perfect, most amazing sound. I agree that the melodies played are so distinct and catchy, (not to mention interesting and original) that the band doesn't need a singer. Buy this cd, you will like it, and then the Coma Lilies will like you!

  • I took a chance and now I am happy.
    author: Randy Floyd

    i lament the limitations of this site. see, the reviewing system only goes up to 5. I need a 6 to effectively communicate this cd. The songs are perfectly arranged in a tracklisting that flows effortlessly from one song to another. The album's dynamic is flawless--I couldn't ask for more. What's more is that the cd didn't strike me right off the bat as an instrumental cd. The needed melodies are so effectively communicated with the band's instruments that there is no want for a singer. And, bucking the trend of most instrumental bands that i've heard, they do not carry on pretentiously with each clever riff that they come up with. exquisite attention is given to their song structure and the flow of the songs is, well.......perfect. Buy this cd and tell a friend as well.

  • Completely original! this CD is beautiful
    author: daniel

    I bought this CD last week, and I've listened to it everyday, sometimes a few times a day, and every time I hear it it gets better. I feel like I've been waiting for this CD to come out for my whole life, and now it's here. The Coma Lilies are going places, buy this CD and you won't be disappointed.

  • Very sophisticated music.
    author: Elon

    This band is amazing. Their progression from when they started to now has greatly impacted well. Their melodies are similar to some of the think you'd hear with Richard D. James. The musician ship is amazing and the song writing is impecable. They are also trying to appeal to many more than just "instremental music fans" The have capturing qualities and i love it.

email

Please log in to email this artist.