Recording of the Week, The Comet Is Coming, 'Hyper-Dimensional Expansion Beam'

It doesn’t feel all that long at all since London trio The Comet Is Coming dropped their last full-length album, Trust in the Lifeforce of the Deep Mystery, back in 2019. In fact, it was the very first album we reviewed for Presto Music’s jazz department back when it first released; my colleague Matt found much to praise in the trio’s excellent sophomore record, from its riotous grooves to its adventurous spiritual sounds. While the trio did release a shorter EP in 2019 – The Afterlife, something of a companion release – it’s good to have them back for a third full-length outing, the similarly sci-fi-indulging Hyper-Dimensional Expansion Beam.

The Comet Is Coming have their origins in Soccer96, an electronic duo consisting of synth operator Dan Leavers and drummer Max Hallett, known pseudonymously as ‘Danalogue’ and ‘Betamax’ respectively. It was at a Soccer96 concert in 2013 that saxophonist Shabaka Hutchings (aka ‘King Shabaka’), inspired by the duo’s music and fortuitously having his sax on-hand, decided to join them on-stage, and with a full audience present The Comet Is Coming was born. To use the term “jazz” with this trio is perhaps a little reductive; while there’s no doubt of an influence here, particularly from spiritual jazz sounds and a Sun Ra-like mythos, The Comet pull just as much from electronica and psychedelic rock in equal measure, and it makes for quite the cocktail of spaced-out sounds. Indeed, much of that is found in Danalogue’s synth palette, granting the trio that futuristic vibe from lush spacious soundscapes to more dance music-evoking parts; in terms of sheer quantity of sound he’s the most heavily-featured voice on the record.

Photo by David Brendan Hall

Fans of Shabaka Hutchings will be familiar with his signature style of staccato-heavy sax playing, and it’s on full display here on Hyper-Dimensional Expansion Beam with some incredibly tight licks, the raw heart of the trio’s energetic music. Though that’s not to discount the contributions of drummer Betamax, who more than keeps up with the animalistic tempos of some of these tracks, while also laying back for the occasional light tune. Hyper-Dimensional Expansion Beam picks up where ‘The Comet’ last left off, but with a wealth of extra experience under each member’s belts; Shabaka having released another album with his now retired Sons of Kemet, a record under Shabaka & The Ancestors, and even a mononymous record Afrikan Culture in the space between the last Comet Is Coming album, while Betamax and Danalogue have continued to keep themselves busy with Soccer96, releasing two full-length records and an EP in the same timeframe.

Right from the get-go this record has plenty of synthetic ear candy, a noticeable progression from Trust in the Lifeforce is the deeper atmosphere this record manages to conjure; album opener ‘Code’ combines lush choral sounds with an animalistic beat led by dirty bass synthesisers, Hutchings’ sax barking melodies over the top, while Danalogue’s synths gel beautifully on the dancey ‘Pyramids’, which seemingly takes its cues from EDM with its dancefloor pulse and syncopated bass, Shabaka’s sax mimicking siren-like leads. Things take a comparatively more grounded approach on ‘Atomic Wave Dance’, the most raw moment on the record as the trio gear up into a fiery beat. ‘Angel of Darkness’ is a more atmospheric tune, opening with Shabaka’s sax as a screeching war cry over a flurry of improvised drums, before the tune settles into more of a lumbering groove. ‘Aftermath’ is a more delicate number, combining rain textures with more restrained drumming, Shabaka taking up the flute while Danalogue’s bass synth arpeggio provides the band with something to anchor to.

Trust in the Lifeforce may have the edge when it comes to hooks, (you’d be hard pressed to beat a tune catchier than ‘Summon the Fire’) but that doesn’t mean the trio have phoned things in; there’s still plenty of absolutely killer grooves and exciting moments on Hyper-Dimensional Expansion Beam even if the tunes aren’t quite as hummable as the trio’s last offering. The Comet Is Coming certainly dial into their more improvisatory tendencies this time around, and where perhaps there are fewer accessible melodies there’s still some truly furious rhythms coupled with a more freewheeling mindset. It’s a marvel that these three recorded this album over just a few days, and if this is how quickly these guys can crank out a new record let’s hope it’s not too long before their next interstellar transmission.