The Comet Is Coming — Hyper-Dimensional Expansion Beam — Album Review
Alternative | Jazz | Electronic | Rock
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For many reasons, 2019 was a very good year. One of those reasons would of course be that it was the year in which I discovered The Comet Is Coming, a jazz-rock trio hailing from London.
This band absolutely blew me away with their 2019 album Trust in the Lifeforce of the Deep Mystery (the second studio album in their discography, and first to be published under Impulse!). But on top of that, they kind of introduced me to the musical world of modern jazz and jazz-fusion. Specifically out of these was “Jazztronica”; a subgenre that still stands as on of my personal favourites, and one that The Comet Is Coming undoubtedly champions.
2019 was undoubtedly a productive year for the trio, as they not only release what in my mind still stands as that year’s best album, but they also release an EP in the later half of that very year titled The Afterlife.
With that said, I was incredibly excited to hear what The Comet Is Coming would release next, and while we did get an incredible single in the form of “Imminent”, released right towards the end of 2020 and featuring Joshua Idehen, The Comet Is Coming were clearly planning their next big move in quiet secrecy.
It wasn’t until the summer of 2022 that we began to hear inklings of the band’s next studio effort. The first teaser track for the album, titled “CODE”, presented quite a few of the spatial and psychedelic familiarities that I love The Comet Is Coming for, albeit balanced out by a more danceable rhythm.
There were three teaser tracks released overall in the lead-up to their brand new album, which the band had given the name Hyper-Dimensional Expansion Beam. The was the aforementioned “CODE”, “LUCID DREAMING” and “TECHNICOLOUR”, all released in that order. Out of these three, my personal favourite would’ve had to have been “LUCID DREAMER” because of its melodic merits and likeness to Trust in the Lifeforce of the Deep Mystery.
This led to a realisation I felt towards a big factor that surround the stylistic nature of this new album; when it came to the saxophone playing of member Shabaka Hutchings (a.k.a King Shabaka), it does take a bit of a backseat in the case of Hyper-Dimensional Expansion Beam. And this, in my mind, did detract from the overall experience of the album as a whole.
Let me explain; what I enjoyed so much about The Comet Is Coming upon discovering them was the remarkable chemistry that the three members of the group shared. You had Max Hallet (Betamax) providing the drumwork, and furthermore the energy of the 2019 record, Dan Leavers (Danalogue) as the keyboardist to provide the spatial feel and ambience. Lastly, King Shabaka’s saxophone played a very unique role; providing the focal melody, and filling in for the vocals that the band are without, it allowed The Comet Is Coming to really stand out as an instrumental band.
In the case of Hyper-Dimensional Expansion Beam, however, Shabaka’s saxophone plays a more rhythmic part on this album, creating a bit of a rift in the bands chemistry. Given that there are seemingly two of the three members focussing on rhythm, it leaves Danalogue’s synth notes to fill in for all the melodic goodness.
There are, thankfully, moments on this album where that isn’t the case. for example, the aforementioned “LUCID DREAMING” sees some very soothing and melodic sax playing, which is why it stands as perhaps my favourite track on the entire album.
Despite all of my gripes with the roles the band play on this new album, however, I do appreciate that they are clearly trying to go for something that diverges a little from what they have done before. Musically, the tracks on Hyper-Dimensional Expansion Beam seem to carry what I like to call a “scientific method” behind them. Each of these tracks feel like some kind of musical equation. This whole aesthetic choice seems all the more solidified by the album cover as well.
I am also pleased to note that I seem to enjoy this record and its tracks the more I listen to it. In other words, their sound is admittedly growing on me. I remember feeling very similarly towards Trust in the Lifeforce of the Deep Mystery in the early days of me discovering it. So who knows how I’m going to feel towards this album by the end of the year. Nevertheless, the way it stands now is that Hyper-Dimensional Expansion Beam is still more than a welcome addition to the discography of this amazing trio, and a reminder of just how awe-inspiring their sound is.
Favourite Tracks: LUCID DREAMER | ATOMIC WAVE DANCE | MYSTIK
Least Favourite Track: THE HAMMER
Verve Label Group | UMG | Impulse!
