The Fists in the Pocket is the greatest song the Pooh Sticks never wrote, which is funny because the Pooh Sticks barely wrote the songs they laid claim to. In their world, laying claim included liner notes that explained all the different musical rip-offs, borrowings, and inspirations for each and every song. Such gleaning appears throughout this new Comet Gain CD though the listener is left to their own devices to discern the sources. As made clear in the cut and paste packaging, a line is being drawn from Belle and Sebastian’s twee pop to the Fall’s anti-social rant’n’roll and, if you can believe it, the music makes the leap. The cacophony of the latter overshadows the tenderness of the former but only because fey is fragile whereas fucked is furious. That said, I’m probably more likely to listen more often to the new B&S and only pull out this piece of agit-pop on particularly agitated occasions. Like when I can’t find my Pooh Sticks! (Terence Dick)
CD, Kill Rock Stars, www.killrockstars.com