#Trust In The Lifeforce Of The Deep Mystery

[beatsforbrothels]

The Comet Is Coming - Super Zodiac

[heavenlymusickcorporation]

Albumtober Day 4: Trust in the Lifeforce of the Deep Mystery

(Prompt: An album you were recommended by someone)

The Comet is Coming - Trust in the Lifeforce of the Deep Mystery (2019)

A couple years ago I was at a local basement show and ran into a guy I went to high school with. We started talking about music, and I mentioned that I was into progressive rock with synthesizers. He said, "Have you heard The Comet is Coming? You'd probably like them."

He was right.

I'm not sure entirely how to describe this music. Spiritual jazz? Fusion? Funk? Cosmic music? All of the above? Shabaka Hutchings plays relentless saxophone licks over Dan "Danalogue" Leavers' synthesizers and Max "Betamax" Hallett's drums. The music is at times chill and laid-back and at other times driving and energetic, occasionally almost reminiscent of early Kraftwerk. All of it is instrumental, except for the 4th track, "Blood of the Past", which features powerful spoken word by poet Kae Tempest.

Favorite tracks: "Blood of the Past", "Super Zodiac", "Timewave Zero"

[musicandotherdelights]

Daily Listening, Day #1,041 - November 6th, 2022

Album: Trust In The Lifeforce Of The Deep Mystery (Impulse!, 2019)

Artist: The Comet Is Coming

Genre: Jazz Fusion, Nu Jazz

Track Listing: 

"Because The End Is Really The Beginning"

"Birth Of Creation"

"Summon The Fire"

"Blood Of The Past"

"Super Zodiac"

"Astral Flying"

"Timewave Zero"

"Unity"

"The Universe Wakes Up"

Favorite Song: "Blood Of The Past"

[sonmelier]

44. The Comet Is Coming | Hyper-Dimensional Expansion Beam

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Angleterre | Impulse! | 44 minutes | 11 morceaux 

Il était difficile de faire aussi bien que sur le précédent album du groupe, l’incroyable Trust in the Lifeforce of the Deep Mystery (2019) mais le trio londonien n’en est finalement pas si loin que ça. On retrouve cette fusion jazz cosmique et propulsive inimitable, ce groove spatial sans équivalent. 

[fuckyeahmotorik]

#1733

The Comet is Coming - Blood of the Past

“Trust In The Lifeforce Of The Deep Mystery”, 2019

[vinyl-artwork]

The Comet Is Coming ‎– Trust In The Lifeforce Of The Deep Mystery (2019) Cover Art by Nat Girsberger

Full Album is Here

[thesongoftheday]

‘Blood of the Past’ by The Comet Is Coming, from ‘Trust in the Lifeforce of the Deep Mystery’

[sinceileftyoublog]

The Comet Is Coming Album Reviews: Trust in the Lifeforce of Deep Mystery/The Afterlife

(Impulse!)

BY JORDAN MAINZER

Describing something as Alice Coltrane meets Blade Runner is usually worthy of all the eye rolls in the world. Despite the descriptor’s overuse in classifying London-based trio The Comet Is Coming, it’s not wrong. The trio of jazz saxophonist Shabaka Hutchings (who goes here by King Shabaka), keyboardist Dan Leavers (Danalogue), and drummer Max Hallett (Betamax) take influence from the aesthetic of space-themed music and movies, from the otherworldly Sun Ra to science fiction pulp. It’s cheesy, occasionally too on-the-nose, and utterly exciting all at once. Their two records released this year, Trust in the Lifeforce of Deep Mystery and The Afterlife, are meant to be companion pieces, the former a chaotic mix of jazz funk, the latter a collection of deep, dance-based synth tunes. Forget the big names who occasionally guest, like English spoken word artist Kate Tempest or poet Joshua Idehen: The Comet Is Coming works best when their themes and ideas are less literal, instead represented by the sublime weirdness of their instrumentation.

For the most part, Hutchings takes the lead, his saxophone guiding the dub-based “Super Zodiac”, free jazzy “Lifeforce Part I”, and arpeggio-laden, propulsive “Lifeforce Part II”. His work with The Comet Is Coming and horn-and-percussion quartet Sons of Kemet has positioned him at the forefront of the London jazz scene, his sound and playing style of half soul, half immersive circular breathing technicality, unmistakable. For every Colin Stetson-like singing into the saxophone, as on the zooming “Summon The Fire”, there are subdued woodwind moments, like the bass clarinet on the smooth “Birth Of Creation”, muted saxophone on the emotive “Unity”, and bass saxophone on the droning, warbling introductory “Because The End Is Really The Beginning”. 

Yet, that The Comet Is Coming, specifically, succeeds when Hutchings stays back is a testament to the other band members. A song like “Timewave Zero”, bolstered by drums and syncopated keys, builds up democratically like expertly composed techno. The Idehen-featuring Afterlife opener “All That Matters Is The Moments” features circling synthesizer lines and drum rolls that segue into a reggae beat; tempos change similarly seamlessly on the sparkling “The Softness of the Present”. “The Seven Planetary Heavens” is the track that quintessentially differentiates The Comet Is Coming from other Hutchings projects. Its clattering drum beat and jingling percussion complement staccato synths. The whole thing gets stuck in an appropriately trippy loop towards the end, as then drums and shimmering synthesizers are added on top. Each band member is in complete control of his parts and the whole, cementing the band as one that is and will continue to be essential listening.

Album review: 7.7/10

[dorkmanboy]

Now spinning: The Comet Is Coming - Trust in the Lifeforce of the Deep Mystery

[rastronomicals]

9:47 PM EDT August 15, 2024:

The Comet Is Coming - "Super Zodiac" From the album   Trust In The Lifeforce Of The Deep Mystery (March 15, 2019)

Last song scrobbled from iTunes at Last.fm

File under: Impulse!

[beatsforbrothels]

The Comet Is Coming - Timewave Zero

[defjux]

The Comet Is Coming - Trust In The Lifeforce Of The Deep Mystery (2019)

[dustedmagazine]

The Comet Is Coming — Trust in the Lifeforce of the Deep Mystery (Impulse!)

Charisma aside, one reason sax player Shabaka Hutchings attracts a lot of attention from non-jazz fans is his high concept groups: the South African jazz and folk inspired Shabaka and the Ancestors, the Afro-Caribbean cribbing Sons of Kemet (whose 2018 record Your Queen Is A Reptile was among the year’s best), and, strangest of all, the synth/percussion/reeds trio of The Comet is Coming, whose new record Trust in the Lifeforce of the Deep Mystery, with its whiff of cosmic cheese and rave ready 4/4 stomp, is a strong contender for the jazz dilettante’s jazz record of the year (that’s a compliment).

Another reason for Hutching’s crossover appeal: he plays loud and he’s a rhythm guy. His aggressive, ostinato-heavy signature sound pairs the throaty intensity of free jazz with short, sticky phrases that nevertheless go down easily if you were raised on rock, hip-hop, or electronica. At his most distinctive, Hutchings isn’t playing so much as preaching, working himself into a fury until his message is distilled into monosyllabic cries, hollers, and exhortations. As such, the apocalyptic spoken word interlude by poet Kate Tempest on album highlight “The Blood of the Earth” works better than it has any right to, coming across as a verbal extension of Hutching’s playing. Hutching’s insistent, haranguing chants on “Summon the Fire” and “Super Zodiac” won’t win over heads who prefer the subtler pleasures of ceaseless melodic development to the grosser, repetitive, indulgences of pop, but subtle has nothing to do with it. Hutchings wants to be heard.  

Which isn’t to say he’s a one-trick prophet. Some of Trust’s best moments are its most meditative. In particular, the slow sunrise of “Because The End Is Really The Beginning,” the tense, burbling, John Gilmore channelling, “Birth of Creation,” and benediction “The Universe Wakes Up” showcase the lyrical side of Hutching’s playing and make room for hope, that most crucial part of every good eschatology.

Of course, there’s more to The Comet Is Coming than Hutchings. The gooey, polychromatic synths of Dan Leaver (credited as Danalogue) and breakbeat-channeling drums of Max Hallett (Betamax) could, by themselves, as they are on the opening of “Timewave Zero,” be released on Warp or Brainfeeder, and their playing, booming, psychedelic, as proudly populist as EDM, and almost totally swing-less, begs the impossible and pointless question of whether or not they’re playing jazz. Of course, that’s the wrong question and would probably be roundly dismissed by the band. Evolve or die: that’s the spiritual and musical message of The Comet Is Coming.  

Yes, the retro-astral millenarianism is a bit goofy, and yes, Hutchings and company sometimes coast on attitude and intensity, but Trust in the Lifeforce of the Deep Mystery is invigorating and accessible, and a great place for the curious to get to know Hutchings, one of the UK’s finest working musicians. (It’s also a lot leaner than the other guy’s space-jazz crossover bid). Having recently attended one of their revival meetings concerts, I can testify that while The Comet may not wipe out tradition minded dinosaurs, it had a seismic impact on the psychonauts, stoners, loners, and open-eared weirdos who filled the basement.  

Isaac Olson

[waste-yourself]

The Comet Is Coming

Summon The Fire

[goodmusicbadreview]

‘Trust In The Lifeforce Of The Deep Mystery’ by The Comet Is Coming | Honk Honk Beep Boop...

Disclaimer: This might be the most petty, bitter thing I’ve ever written on this blog and it is for that reason that it’s taken me literally months to build up the nerve to post it. To that end, I should make it clear that, while I’m not hugely keen on the ideological move it represents, I fucking loved this record.

Shabaka Hutchings is the biggest name in British jazz right now. He’s as prolific as it comes, having played on countless projects over the last decade. He’s one of the few musicians in the jazz world whose music has transcended its genre label and been hyped beyond belief by the mainstream music press, and he’s an exceptionally talented musician to boot.

Unfortunately, he's also that one kid in class who plays dumb for laughs and then goes on to do annoyingly well in all of his tests. Even more annoyingly, it’s that quality of playing dumb that makes his music so damn enjoyable. 

While sitting through his latest release with his electronic trio, The Comet Is Coming, I found myself getting increasingly annoyed at how much I was enjoying myself. Yes. I know. I’m a bitter sod. Only sour-faced, nitpicking music snobs scold themselves for enjoying music. In this case, it was entirely my problem that there was anything stopping me from ditching my inhibitions and irritating my neighbours by blasting this insanely fun record at top volume.

Everyone has their hangups, and apparently mine is that I associate Shabaka Hutchings and his “stupid sax” approach to jazz with that one guy in every class I had at school for whom seeming stupid was their aesthetic of choice, despite being deceptively intelligent and hard-working. I guess what I’m saying is, if you wanted an in-depth reflection on the music on the new The Comet Is Coming Record, you ain’t getting it; this is a psychological profile of me: a resentful, painfully awkward Jewish kid from North London who was mocked in school for giving off the impression that he actually gave a shit about education.

That’s right, I’m that guy.

Shabaka Hutchings is insanely smart, and an insanely technically proficient instrumentalist, but he attempts to play as if that weren’t the case as a way of better spiritually engaging with the music. The thing is, the musical education he received is what made this method of playing possible. He has the technical proficiency to break the rules that previous generations of musicians set, and you know what, the end result sounds fucking great.

To be honest, it’s kind of a sad indictment of our culture right now that you’re more likely to be taken seriously and be celebrated if you sound dumb. What I’ve always loved about jazz is that it’s a really aspirational genre of music. In order to do it really well you have to learn so much stuff. So in the case of Hutchings, there’s a strange cognitive dissonance. He’s working really hard to make his music sound less complex than his contemporaries, but at the same time, it’s such a specific aesthetic that in all his attempts to sound dumb, there’s still this inescapable feeling that he’s way smarter than you... To be honest, I’m not entirely sure where I’m going with this chain of thoughts.

Trust in the Lifeforce of the Deep Mystery is Hutchings’ best album to date. It’s raucous, beautiful, varied, full of depth and a huge amount of fun. It also weirdly reminded me of the Beyblade: G-Revolution soundtrack (don’t ask why... to be honest I probably couldn’t tell you).