Space Carnival

"Space Carnival" holds a productive paradox: the carnival is earthly, communal, carnivalesque in its bodies and noise and celebration, while space is the opposite of all that — cold, silent, emptied of human presence. The track holds this tension and finds joy in it, Danalogue's synthesizers creating something genuinely psychedelic rather than merely strange, sounds that seem to arrive from distances that can't be measured in units we normally use. There's an exuberance here that distinguishes "Space Carnival" from more somber Comet Is Coming material — this is a celebration, however cosmic, and the rhythm section drives with momentum that wants physical response. King Shabaka plays with a looseness suited to the carnival element, his saxophone lines having something celebratory and almost ecstatic in their willingness to follow where the moment leads. The production allows space between elements, which paradoxically makes the crowded sections feel more densely populated when they arrive. This is excellent headphone music, the kind that rewards both movement and stillness, its meaning shifting depending on whether you encounter it in motion or at rest.