Channel the Spirits
Studio album by
The Comet Is Coming
Released1 April 2016
GenreNu jazz, electronic rock, neo-psychedelia, space rock
LabelThe Leaf Label
ProducerDanalogue The Conqueror/Betamax Killer
The Comet Is Coming chronology
Prophecy
(2015)		 Channel the Spirits
(2016)		 Death to the Planet
(2017)

Channel the Spirits is the first full-length album by London-based band The Comet Is Coming. It was released on 1 April 2016 by The Leaf Label.

Background

Described as a "prophetic document" and "the beginning of the end" by The Leaf Label, Channel the Spirits draws on the same influences of jazz, electronica, psychedelia and sci-fi references as the previous release from The Comet Is Coming, Prophecy.[1][2] The first single, "Space Carnival", was premiered on The Quietus, who described the track as a demonstration of "the group refining their cosmic jazz stylings".[3]

In an interview with M magazine, band member Betamax Killer said of the album:

Channel The Spirits was meant to be a soundtrack to planet Earth’s doom. To stare death in the face and explore a symphony of human emotions. Panic, hope, defiance, fear, brotherhood and a release from cultural restrictions. We hoped to discover the underlying human power beneath the mundane day-to-day routines of modern life. Through the process of making the record we have been on a journey together through the distant realms of our collective mind. It feels like we have become creative space explorers. [4]

Critical reception

Bearded magazine wrote that "this is a debut album that will leave you dumbfounded, reeling, exhausted and inspired".[5] The Quietus praised the "sense of perspiring, physical energy that pulses through almost everything" and the "outrageous, head-snapping riff and hip-snapping beat[s]" as well as the "echoes...of Space Invaders, 70s sci-fi films, the BBC Radiophonic Workshop, post-punk, Fela Kuti, and 80s dance and electronica as well as...Sun Ra, Parliament, and Funkadelic".[6] Penny Black Music called the album "engaging, atmospheric and intoxicating...one of the more forward-thinking and groundbreaking albums you will hear this year...not to be missed".[7]

In August 2016, the album was shortlisted for the Mercury Prize.[8][9]

Accolades

Publication Accolade Year Rank Ref.
Mojo The 50 Best Albums of 2016 2016
48
The Quietus Albums of the Year 2016 2016
60
Uncut Top 75 albums of the year 2016
71
Time Out New York Best Albums of 2016 2016
21
The Line of Best Fit The Best Fit Fifty Essential Albums of 2016 2016
44
Fopp the best albums of 2016 2016
89

Track listing

All tracks written by The Comet Is Coming

  1. "The Prophecy" – 1:49
  2. "Space Carnival" – 3:36
  3. "Journey Through the Asteroid Belt" – 5:33
  4. "Nano" – 1:16
  5. "New Age" – 5:27
  6. "Slam Dunk in a Black Hole" – 2:26
  7. "Cosmic Dust" – 3:26
  8. "Star Furnace" – 5:37
  9. "Channel the Spirits" – 4:04
  10. "Deep Within the Engine Deck" – 1:22
  11. "Lightyears" – 4:46
  12. "End of Earth" – 2:16

Personnel

The Comet Is Coming
  • King Shabaka – tenor saxophone
  • Danalogue the Conqueror – keys
  • Betamax Killer – drums
Additional musicians

References

  1. ↑ "The Comet Is Coming - Channel The Spirits". The Leaf Label. Retrieved 7 April 2016.
  2. ↑ "The Comet Is Coming - Prophecy". The Leaf Label. Retrieved 7 April 2016.
  3. ↑ "LISTEN: New The Comet Is Coming". The Quietus. Retrieved 7 April 2016.
  4. ↑ "Interview: The Comet Is Coming". M. Retrieved 22 April 2016.
  5. ↑ "The Comet Is Coming: Channel The Spirits (Leaf)". Bearded Magazine. Retrieved 15 April 2016.
  6. ↑ "The Comet Is Coming". The Quietus. Retrieved 15 April 2016.
  7. ↑ "The Comet Is Coming". Penny Black Music. Retrieved 22 April 2016.
  8. ↑ "The Comet Is Coming - Mercury Music Prize". The Leaf Label. The Leaf Label. 2016. Retrieved 10 August 2016.
  9. ↑ "Mercury Prize Shortlist". The Mercury Prize. The Music Prize. 2016. Retrieved 10 August 2016.
  10. ↑ "The 50 Best Albums of 2016". Mojo. 22 November 2016. Retrieved 1 December 2016.
  11. ↑ "The Quietus Albums of the Year 2016". The Quietus. 6 December 2016. Retrieved 6 December 2016.
  12. ↑ "Introducing our end-of-year Uncut special". Uncut. 22 November 2016. Retrieved 1 February 2017.
  13. ↑ "Best Albums of 2016". Time Out New York. 20 December 2016. Retrieved 1 February 2017.
  14. ↑ "The Best Fit Fifty Essential Albums of 2016". The Line of Best Fit. 14 December 2016. Retrieved 1 February 2017.
  15. ↑ "the best albums of 2016". Fopp. 29 November 2016. Retrieved 1 February 2017.
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