| Channel the Spirits | |
| Type: | studio |
| Artist: | The Comet Is Coming |
| Cover: | Channelthespirits.jpg |
| Released: | 1 April 2016 |
| Genre: | Nu jazz, electronic rock, neo-psychedelia, space rock |
| Label: | The Leaf Label |
| Producer: | Danalogue The Conqueror/Betamax Killer |
| Prev Title: | Prophecy |
| Prev Year: | 2015 |
| Next Title: | Death to the Planet |
| Next Year: | 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.
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]
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]
| Publication | Accolade | Year | Rank | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mojo | The 50 Best Albums of 2016 | 2016 | |||
| The Quietus | Albums of the Year 2016 | 2016 | |||
| Uncut | Top 75 albums of the year | 2016 | |||
| Time Out New York | Best Albums of 2016 | 2016 | |||
| The Line of Best Fit | The Best Fit Fifty Essential Albums of 2016 | 2016 | |||
| Fopp | the best albums of 2016 | 2016 |
All tracks written by The Comet Is Coming