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Channel the Spirits

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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

References

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  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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