Record Store Day (RSD) is proving to be a divisive issue, with record stores saying that they’re losing money on special releases that nobody is buying, and that big labels are the only ones really benefiting. Canada’s Comeback Kid, who have been around since 2002, are surely aware of the ups and downs of RSD – the question is whether their ‘Rain City Sessions +1’ EP was a special release worth buying, with six live tracks and one cover included.
‘Wake The Dead’ kicks the album off, as it should – this is a single which has hooked many onto Comeback Kid and a live version is always welcome. Production wise, the brilliant intro with those octave power chords has stayed intact, and the vocals in this version are arguably better than the studio recording – slightly more emphasis has been given to them. The same goes for ‘Losing Sleep’ and ‘The Concept Stays’, which are both produced really well – the latter track has its awesome drum-work thankfully intact (no doubt performed by a different drummer than the original).
The second track, ‘Should Know Better’, starts off sounding slightly tinny, and until the bass really kicks in halfway through, the song seems flat. However, it’s also messier-sounding than ‘Wake The Dead’, which, in a live-album for a hardcore band, is very welcome – the next track, ‘All In A Year’, is appropriately messy as well.
Finally, we get to the ‘+1’ part of the title, which is Comeback Kid’s cover of Nirvana’s ‘Territorial Pissings’. Covering Nirvana isn’t novel or anything, but Comeback Kid have done really well in covering the song in their own style, with a heavier approach, instrumentally speaking. This would be a really great addition to Comeback Kid’s set-list, if it isn’t on there already.
‘Rain City Sessions +1’ is sold out in its physical form at most shops, but if you’re a Comeback Kid fan who wants to hear versions of their best songs which are a bit more visceral and raw then definitely try and find a copy. These recordings don’t really seem to be as distorted as they would be in a gig venue, and at points it doesn’t feel like a live-album. Still, the songs here differ enough from the originals to make this worthwhile, especially if you’ve heard them numerous times.
SAMARTH KANAL