Sunday Recovery – Coma – Album Review

Sunday Recovery’s debut album has been a long time coming. First forming in 2009, the Italian quartet have finally created Coma, an album described as ‘epic, ambitious rock’.

Hate to be frank, but I feel that epic is taking this album a little too far. Yes, we have inspiration from the likes of Muse (‘Young Blood’), Porcupine Tree (‘In Front of You’) and Radiohead (I Know Better) but there’s just something that really doesn’t fit with my idea of ‘epic’. After reading that description, I’m afraid to say I’m a little disappointed. An epic album is one that should take you on a huge journey, that keeps you hooked throughout. Coma simply doesn’t.

We have gravelly vocals from Mirko Petrini, who rather sounds like an Italian Chris Rea. It’s an impressive feat to sing an entire album in a language not in your native tongue and Petrini does a very good job. Musically, it’s not a bad album either, with help from Porcupine Tree bassist, Colin Edwin, on a couple of the tracks.

A range of sounds, musical shapes and moods, Coma is brimming with lots of potentially exciting little treasures. There are wonderful piano runs in ‘Press Play on Tape’, very reminiscent of Muse; contrasting with the heavy, yet bizarre sounding ‘Pornstar’ and hints of electronica in closing track, ‘Life_Sweet.com’. I say potentially exciting, because it just unfortunately didn’t do anything for me.

I wish I could say I like it; a band of high calibre musicians should really appeal to me. Their influences are all bands that I am familiar with and enjoy listening to. I even enjoy the occasional Chris Rea. Sunday Recovery, on paper, should really have wowed me. I guess I’ll just have to keep on looking until something does.

Track Listing

1 Private Joke
2 I Know Better
3 Coma
4 In Front of You
5 Young Blood
6 Press Play on Tape
7 Another Place
8 Pornstar
9 Side C
10 Lost and Gone
11 Life_Sweet.com