FIRST UTTERANCE

"First Utterance" is the debut full-length studio album by UK progressive/acid folk rock act Comus. The album was released through the Dawn label in February 1971 which was one month after the band released the "Diana (1971)" maxi single. Upon release the album generally didn´t receive positive reviews, and it didn´t sell well either. "First Utterance" has since gained "cult" status though, and is widely acknowledged as a seminal progressive acid folk release.

The music on the album is almost fully acoustic folk rock featuring 12-string guitars, violin, viola, flute, oboe, acoustic bass, and various forms of percussion. There are some electric guitar on the album but the use is sparse. There are both female and male vocals on the album (predominantly male). The former are mostly of the angelic type (but also often used as backing vocals and in choir parts), pleasant and soothing but a bit anonymous, while the male vocals by Roger Wootton are truly fascinating, bordering the psychotic at times. The man is simply demonic in his delivery. Seldom have I heard a more intense and eerie sounding vocalist. The music features a dark and sinister atmosphere, at times almost resembling the atmosphere of a twisted horror movie. The lyrical subjects include murder, violence, rape, mental institutions, and other nasty things. This is actually a very disturbing album and it´s probably very much an aquired taste if you can appreciate Comus dark and demented approach to progressive folk rock.

"First Utterance" features 7 tracks and a full playing time of 49:17 minutes. The opening track "Diana" also appeared on the "Diana" maxi single. It´s followed by the two tracks in "The Herald" and "Drip Drip" which are both over 10 minutes long. Both are among the highlights of the album, but the rest of the material are equally strong. The combination of warm and organic playing, eerie atmospheres, an organic and professional sounding production, and strong musicianship make "First Utterance" a dark progressive folk rock gem. The lyrics are pretty extreme considering the time of release, but they are definitely one of the things that make "First Utterance" such an original sounding album. There are similarities between Comus and contemporaries like The Incredible String Band, Jan Dukes De Grey and Spirogyra, but none of those artists can match the sinister darkness of "First Utterance".

Everything just seem to fall into the right place with this album and I agree with the almost universal praise that "First Utterance" receives these days and share the opinion that this is a "classic" in the progressive/acid folk rock genre. A 5 star (100%) rating is deserved.