Channel the Spirits

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.

Channel the Spirits
Studio album by The Comet Is Coming
Released	1 April 2016
Genre	Nu jazz, electronic rock, neo-psychedelia, space rock
Label	The Leaf Label
Producer	Danalogue The Conqueror/Betamax Killer
The Comet Is Coming chronology
Prophecy (2015) Channel the Spirits (2016) Death to the Planet (2017)

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	[10]
The Quietus	Albums of the Year 2016	2016	60	[11]
Uncut	Top 75 albums of the year	2016	71	[12]
Time Out New York	Best Albums of 2016	2016	21	[13]
The Line of Best Fit	The Best Fit Fifty Essential Albums of 2016	2016	44	[14]
Fopp	the best albums of 2016	2016	89	[15]

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

• Joshua Idehen – spoken word (11)