Spiritualized | ||
| Allmusic Biography : Singer/guitarist Jason Pierce formed his group Spiritualized from the ashes of trance-rockers Spacemen 3, combining his prior bands trademark hypnotic minimalism with uplifting atmospheric lightness that reached a peak with their 1997 classic Ladies and Gentlemen We Are Floating in Space and the 2001 international chart success Let It Come Down. With extended gaps between releases, Spiritualized continued into the 2010s with Sweet Heart, Sweet Light and And Nothing Hurt. Influenced by the Velvet Underground, La Monte Young, and Steve Reich, Spiritualized staked out a common ground between minimalism and lush symphonics. While powered by simple, repetitious motifs, their songs simultaneously blossomed into rich, shimmering sonic panoramas inspired by the majestic studio wizardry of Phil Spector and Brian Wilson. Their very name acknowledged the existence of other forces, further reflected in their heavy debt to gospel and soul music as well as an affinity for mantras and devotional hymns. Although Spiritualized fully emerged after the acrimonious breakup of Spacemen 3, the bands roots extended back to that groups final LP, 1990s Recurring. A Spacemen 3 album in name only, Recurring was split evenly between independently recorded work from Pierce and estranged partner Pete "Sonic Boom" Kember; as a result, while Kembers side presaged his eventual work with Spectrum, Pierces half, recorded with most of the musicians who would later be featured in Spiritualized (including guitarist Mark Refoy, bassist Willie B. Carruthers, and drummer Jon Mattock), pre-dated the orchestral drones that became the bands hallmark. The first true Spiritualized single, a dramatic reading of the Troggs "Anyway That You Want Me," was the final nail in the coffin -- reportedly, Kember was so incensed by the Spacemen 3 logo appearing on the discs jacket that he disbanded the group for good. In 1991, Spiritualized returned with a string of EPs -- Feel So Sad, Run/I Want You, and Smile/Sway -- before their long-awaited debut, Lazer Guided Melodies, finally appeared the following year. The masterful, blissed-out result of Pierces obsessive studio fine-tuning and endless remixing, the album was promoted by Spiritualizeds slot on the high-profile Rollercoaster tour, where they appeared with the Jesus and Mary Chain and Curve. A limited-edition live document, Fucked Up Inside, followed in 1993, trailed by another EP, Electric Mainline, later in the year. In 1995, Spiritualized -- now a trio consisting of Pierce, keyboardist/guitarist Kate Radley, and bassist Sean Cook -- issued Pure Phase, a heady, dense production that boasted separate mixes from each stereo channel. With 1997s platinum-certified Ladies and Gentlemen We Are Floating in Space, Pierce deliberately jettisoned many of the bands usual points of departure, including drones, tremolos, and phase tones; recorded with new drummer Damon Reece, it featured a cameo appearance from legendary New Orleans pianist Dr. John on one track, while Memphis studio legend Jim Dickinson appeared on another. Other guests included the Balanescu Quartet (also featured on Pure Phase), the London Community Gospel Choir, and Spring Heel Jack. The two-disc Royal Albert Hall October 10, 1997 live album followed in late 1998. The following year, Pierce gutted Spiritualizeds lineup, firing Cook, Reece, and Mike Mooney, who formed Lupine Howl soon after their dismissal; Radley left soon after she married Verve frontman and solo artist Richard Ashcroft. Only saxophonist Ray Dickaty and occasional keyboardist Thighpaulsandra (aka Tim Lewis) remained in the band. Pierce began writing and recording material for the next Spiritualized album at George Martins Air Studios and recruited percussionist Tom Edwards, bassist Martin Shallards, Echoboy drummer Kev Bales, and guitarist Dogan (from Julian Copes band), for the sessions. That critically acclaimed fourth album, Let It Come Down -- which featured an even lusher, more involved sound than Ladies and Gentlemen -- arrived in mid-2001. The effort was their highest-charting release to date, peaking at number three in the U.K. and marking the bands first appearances on the French and U.S. charts. The follow-up, 2003s Amazing Grace (Dedicated/Arista), was more of a back-to-basics record. Although it entered the U.K. charts at number 25, it failed to make a dent in international markets. Their sixth album, Songs in A and E (Universal/Sanctuary), arrived in spring 2008 and saw Spiritualized bounce back toward the top of the charts. In 2010, Spiritualized embarked on a tour performing Ladies and Gentlemen in its entirety, writing new songs influenced by that album -- as well as by the Beach Boys and Peter Brötzmann -- while they were on the road. Pierce and company laid down the songs at studios in Los Angeles, Wales, and Reykjavik over the course of two years; the results, Sweet Heart, Sweet Light (Double Six/Fat Possum), were released in April 2012. After a six-year hiatus, the longest yet for his band, Pierce wanted to make what he thought would be the last Spiritualized album. Not having the budget to record in a large studio, he opted instead to construct the effort on a laptop computer, "playing" everything himself (the lush strings are sampled) save for horns, upright bass, and timpani; it was a process he initially found exasperating. The end result, And Nothing Hurt, was released in September of 2018, followed by a full band tour as well as the admission that the offering may not be the final album from the group. | ||
 | Album: 1 of 18 Title: Lazer Guided Melodies Released: 1992-04 Tracks: 4 Duration: 1:01:59 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify TrackSamples Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 You Know It’s True / If I Were With Her Now / I Want You (13:11) 2 Run / Smiles / Step Into the Breeze / Symphony Space (14:44) 3 Take Your Time / Shine a Light (14:08) 4 Angel Sigh / Sway / 200 Bars (19:54) |
| Lazer Guided Melodies : Allmusic album Review : The groups seminal debut album is aptly titled: The melodies shimmer and drone and hum like otherworldly pop tunes, and Radley and Pierces vocals hover gently in the mix. One of the premier dream pop albums, Lazer Guided Melodies is both beautiful and innovative. | ||
 | Album: 2 of 18 Title: Fucked Up Inside Released: 1993-07-12 Tracks: 7 Duration: 47:10 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Take Good Care of It (04:49) 2 I Want You (03:18) 3 Medication (07:34) 4 Angel Sigh (05:10) 5 Walking With Jesus (05:03) 6 Shine a Light (Clear Light/Clear Rush) (14:39) 7 Smiles (06:34) |
| Fucked Up Inside : Allmusic album Review : Spiritualizeds first official live release was this seven-song limited-edition package, originally available only via mail order. Taking its title from a line in the Spacemen 3 favorite "Walking with Jesus," Fucked Up Inside (like its successor, 1998s Royal Albert Hall set) somehow distills the full hypnotic brilliance of the groups remarkable live set onto record -- songs like "Take Good Care of It," "Shine a Light," and "Smiles" build and bloom with rare grandeur, crystallizing the epic sweep of Jason Pierces sonic vision. | ||
 | Album: 3 of 18 Title: Electric Mainline Released: 1993-10 Tracks: 4 Duration: 24:19 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 Good Times (04:05) 2 Electric Mainline, Part 1 (07:48) 3 Lay Back in the Sun (03:48) 4 Electric Mainline, Part 2 (08:38) |
 | Album: 4 of 18 Title: Pure Phase Released: 1995-03-28 Tracks: 14 Duration: 1:08:16 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Medication (08:16) 2 The Slide Song (03:52) 3 Electric Phase (01:33) 4 All of My Tears (03:10) 5 These Blues (03:04) 6 Let It Flow (05:30) 7 Take Good Care of It (04:36) 8 Born Never Asked (02:05) 9 Electric Mainline (07:39) 10 Lay Back in the Sun (05:09) 11 Good Times (04:53) 12 Pure Phase (06:19) 13 Spread Your Wings (06:30) 14 Feel Like Goin’ Home (05:34) |
| Pure Phase : Allmusic album Review : Much of the reason that the Pure Phase album seemed a tad disappointing upon its 1995 release was that the Electric Mainline teaser EP issued over a year earlier was so fantastic -- its three tracks possess an organic vitality and soulful grit that the overly fussy versions reprised on Pure Phase sorely lack. "Good Times" exists at the intersection of cosmic rock & roll and salt-of-the-earth R&B;, fusing a chugging, hypnotic guitar riff with backing vocals and horn arrangements channeled from some off-planet franchise of Muscle Shoals Studios. "Lay Back in the Sun" somehow manages to achieve exit velocity despite (or maybe because of) a grinding, circular melody that actually goes nowhere, and the two-part instrumental title cut captures the same arriving-without-traveling zeitgeist. Jason Pierce advises in the liner notes to "play loud n drive fast" -- words worth heeding at all times. | ||
 | Album: 5 of 18 Title: Ladies and Gentlemen We Are Floating in Space Released: 1997-05-07 Tracks: 12 Duration: 1:10:00 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Ladies and Gentlemen We Are Floating in Space (03:40) 2 Come Together (04:40) 3 I Think I’m in Love (08:09) 4 All of My Thoughts (04:36) 5 Stay With Me (05:08) 6 Electricity (03:46) 7 Home of the Brave (02:22) 8 The Individual (04:15) 9 Broken Heart (06:38) 10 No God Only Religion (04:21) 11 Cool Waves (05:06) 12 Cop Shoot Cop… (17:13) |
| Ladies and Gentlemen We Are Floating in Space : Allmusic album Review : Spiritualizeds third collection of hypnotic headphone symphonies is their most brilliant and accessible to date. Largely forsaking the drones and minimalistic, repetitive riffs which have characterized his work since the halcyon days of Spacemen 3, Jason Pierce re-focuses here and spins off into myriad new directions; in a sense, Ladies and Gentlemen We Are Floating in Space, with its majestic, Spector-like glow, is his classic rock album. "Come Together" and the blistering "Electricity" are his most edgy, straightforward rockers in eons, while the stunning "I Think Im in Love" settles into a divided-psyche call-and-response R&B groove, and the closing "Cop Shoot Cop" (with guest Dr. John) locks into a voodoo blues trance. Lyrically, Pierce is at his most open and honest: The record is a heartfelt confessional of love and loss, with redemption found only in the form of drugs -- designed, no less, to look like a prescription pharmaceutical package, Ladies and Gentlemen is pointedly explicit in its description of drug use as a means of killing the pain on track after track. Conversely, never before have the literal implications of the name "Spiritualized" been explored in such earnest detail -- the London Community Gospel Choir appears prominently on a number of songs, while another bears the title "No God, Only Religion," pushing the music even further toward the kind of cosmic gospel transcendence it craves. A masterpiece. | ||
 | Album: 6 of 18 Title: The Abbey Road EP Released: 1998-08 Tracks: 3 Duration: 11:32 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 Come Together (03:24) 2 Broken Heart (03:47) 3 Broken Heart (instrumental) (04:19) |
 | Album: 7 of 18 Title: Royal Albert Hall October 10 1997 Released: 1998-11-09 Tracks: 15 Duration: 1:35:12 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Intro (04:19) 2 Shine a Light (07:10) 3 Electric Mainline (07:01) 4 Electricity (03:25) 5 Home of the Brave (03:31) 6 The Individual (02:57) 7 Medication (06:36) 8 Walking with Jesus (04:17) 9 Take Your Time (06:43) 1 No God Only Religion (03:56) 2 Broken Heart (05:46) 3 Come Together (06:55) 4 I Think Im in Love (10:05) 5 Cop Shoot Cop (16:33) 6 Oh Happy Day (05:51) |
| Royal Albert Hall October 10 1997 : Allmusic album Review : Live albums, by and large, are a dime a dozen -- inconsequential souvenirs designed to placate fans awaiting new studio material, they rarely if ever shed new light on the artist in question; rarer still is their ability to approximate the energy and excitement of the concert setting itself. Spiritualizeds transcendent Royal Albert Hall October 10 1997 is the proverbial exception that proves the rule, a revelatory two-disc collection which captures the group at the peak of their powers, somehow translating the hypnotic power and epic majesty of their live set onto vinyl. Rejecting the inane between-song stage patter common to most live performers, Jason Pierce instead weaves his music together into an unbroken tapestry of sound, casting a spell which ebbs and flows with narcotic beauty and intensity; even the most familiar selections (like "Shine a Light," "Take Your Time," and "Medication," all frequent inclusions on other Spiritualized live EPs and bootlegs) pulsate with new life, their melodies as likely to set off on a meditative drift as they are to erupt in blasts of white noise. Granted, Royal Albert Hall isnt a substitute for the experience of actually catching the group in the flesh -- what is? -- but like so few other concert LPs, it actually rises above its conceptual limitations, forever capturing a singular moment in time and space when Spiritualized was unquestionably the greatest rock & roll band in the world. | ||
 | Album: 8 of 18 Title: Let It Come Down Released: 2001-09-16 Tracks: 11 Duration: 1:03:06 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 On Fire (04:01) 2 Do It All Over Again (03:48) 3 Don’t Just Do Something (06:53) 4 Out of Sight (06:11) 5 The Twelve Steps (04:43) 6 The Straight and the Narrow (05:11) 1 I Didn’t Mean to Hurt You (05:13) 2 Stop Your Crying (05:16) 3 Anything More (05:35) 4 Won’t Get to Heaven (The State I’m in) (10:33) 5 Lord Can You Hear Me (05:37) |
| Let It Come Down : Allmusic album Review : Jason Pierce has never shied away from changes in pursuit of his artistic goals. He traded Spacemen 3s white-hot intensity for the gentler ebb and flow of Spiritualized, and took things a step further by firing the rest of the band after their greatest success, Ladies and Gentlemen We Are Floating in Space. Let It Come Down is another step in Pierces difficult, single-minded creative path. To craft the albums epic sound, Pierce sang the melodies into a Dictaphone, translated them to piano, and then transposed them into orchestral arrangements. This painstaking process results in an album that is equal parts intimate confessions and ambitious soundscapes, yet, despite the lineup changes and its lengthy inception, Let It Come Down doesnt sound radically different from Spiritualizeds previous albums, proving for once and all that Pierce is Spiritualized and Spiritualized is Pierce. Instead, it feels like a natural progression from the densely orchestrated space rock of the first three Spiritualized albums, especially on the bleak, bluesy "Out of Sight" and the plaintive "Dont Just Do Something." Sweeping, stratospheric string and brass sections dominate the album, with over 100 musicians surrounding Pierces frail, desolate vocals on some songs. Indeed, the lushness of the arrangements sometimes overpowers the albums relatively straightforward songwriting, particularly on tracks like "Anything More." While country and gospel influences bring the beautiful "Do It All Over Again" and "Wont Get to Heaven (The State Im In)" back down to earth, Let It Come Downs elaborate sound doesnt always make its songs particularly accessible. When Pierce dares to keep things relatively simple, as on the insistent, yearning "I Didnt Mean to Hurt You" and the finale, "Lord Can You Hear Me," the emotional impact is stunning; the rockers "On Fire" and "The Twelve Steps" also cut the albums scope down to size in a direct, gripping way. Let It Come Down is another masterfully made Spiritualized album, but its very ambitions sometimes overwhelm it. | ||
 | Album: 9 of 18 Title: Friendly Fire Released: 2002 Tracks: 13 Duration: 1:08:50 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 I Want You (Glides and Chimes) (04:57) 2 Shine a Light (Unreleased mix) (07:03) 3 Smiles (Unreleased mix) (03:59) 4 I Want You (instrumental long version) (07:15) 5 Why Don’t You Smile Now? (rehearsal) (04:45) 6 You Know It’s True (rehearsal) (04:40) 7 Amen (rehearsal) (03:37) 8 Angel Sigh (rehearsal) (04:46) 9 If I Were With Her Now (rehearsal) (04:16) 10 Run (rehearsal) (03:19) 11 Angel Sigh (Peel session) (04:39) 12 Feel So Sad (Peel session) (07:40) 13 Smiles (Peel session) (07:54) |
 | Album: 10 of 18 Title: Blue on Blue: Unreleased Mixes Demos & Outtakes 1990-1991 Released: 2002 Tracks: 11 Duration: 1:13:17 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 Why Don’t You Smile Now? (alternate mix) (05:46) 2 Step Into the Breeze (alternate instrumental mix) (03:00) 3 Angel Sigh (alternate mix) (05:58) 4 If I Were With Her Know (alternate mix) (06:26) 5 Anyway That You Want Me (Violin outtake) (02:06) 6 Didgeridoo (demo for Sway) (09:36) 7 Take Your Time (alternate mix) (06:48) 8 200 Bars (alternate mix) (06:10) 9 These Blues (demo version) (03:25) 10 Angel Sigh (alternate mix) (07:14) 11 Sometimes (First Spiritualized rehearsal) (16:48) |
 | Album: 11 of 18 Title: The Complete Works, Volume 1 Released: 2003-04-15 Tracks: 24 Duration: 2:19:27 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Anyway That You Want Me (06:27) 2 Step Into the Breeze, Part 1 (02:48) 3 Feel So Sad (7″ single version) (05:34) 4 Feel So Sad (Rhapsodies) (13:19) 5 Feel So Sad (Glides and Chimes) (06:33) 6 Run (single version) (03:12) 7 Luminescence (Stay With Me) (05:08) 8 I Want You (‘Feel So Sad’) (7″ B-Side version) (03:45) 9 Effervescent (Chimes) (07:13) 10 Why Don’t You Smile Now (05:44) 11 Sway (06:53) 1 100 Bars (a cappella) (04:16) 2 I Want You (‘Run’ B-Side version) (03:55) 3 You Know It’s True (instrumental) (03:40) 4 Medication (From ‘Medication’ EP) (08:16) 5 Smiles (‘Medication’ Promo single version) (05:28) 6 Angel Sigh (From ‘Medication’ EP) (04:43) 7 Feel So Sad (From ‘Medication’ EP) (08:08) 8 Good Dope/Good Fun (From Greenpeace 7″ single) (03:50) 9 Lay Back in the Sun (‘Electric Mainline’ EP version) (03:48) 10 Good Times (‘Electric Mainline’ EP version) (04:09) 11 Electric Mainline, Part 1 (07:49) 12 Electric Mainline, Part 2 (08:40) 13 100 Bars (Flashback) (05:59) |
 | Album: 12 of 18 Title: Amazing Grace Released: 2003-09-08 Tracks: 4 Duration: 18:12 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Lord Let It Rain on Me (03:42) 2 Oh Baby (04:10) 3 Rated X (05:19) 4 Lay It Down Slow (05:00) |
| Amazing Grace : Allmusic album Review : After the arduous process of making 2001s hyper-orchestrated Let It Come Down and hearing the fierce, back-to-basics rock of bands like the White Stripes and Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, Jason Pierce vowed that the next Spiritualized album would be a departure from the excesses of his previous efforts. In some aspects, Amazing Grace makes good on his word: right down to its cover art -- a photo of a naked arm, free of any ornament (or track marks) -- the album makes a show of its simplicity. The pair of rockers that begin Amazing Grace are just as driven as anything that has come out of the recent wave of garage rock revivalism, but save for some lo-fi affectations, could easily appear on any of Spiritualizeds other albums. Indeed, lyrics like "This little life of mine/Im gonna let it slide" and song titles like "She Kissed Me (It Felt Like a Hit)" are so quintessentially Spiritualized that they border on parody. The albums softer moments also have a slightly rehashed quality and are still fairly ornate. While "Hold On" and "Oh Baby" are more restrained than Pierces Let It Come Down material, that just means that their excesses are less excessive -- theres only one orchestra and gospel choir per song. However, the processes that Pierce used to craft the album arent as important as the fact that its songs arent especially distinctive. Amazing Grace touches on all of Spiritualizeds song archetypes: fiery rockers ("Never Going Back," "Cheapster"), gospel-tinged pleas for salvation ("Lord Let It Rain on Me"), ethereal laments ("Rated X"), and forays into jazz ("The Power and the Glory"), but, despite energetic performances and a relatively simple approach, very few of the songs connect. If anything, the stripped-down production magnifies the albums nondescript songwriting. The standout track is "The Ballad of Richie Lee," a bleakly beautiful song that truly does use the orchestra in a restrained and powerful way, making a logical progression from where Pierces music has been to where it could be going. Amazing Grace is far from a bad album, but its not an especially compelling one, either. The yin and yang of Spiritualizeds symphonies and rock make for a sharp contrast in his work, but they can also settle into a rut, as is the case here. Die-hard Pierce fans may find a lot to like about Amazing Grace, but then again, they may find another spin of Ladies and Gentlemen We Are Floating in Space more rewarding. | ||
 | Album: 13 of 18 Title: The Complete Works, Volume 2 Released: 2004-10-05 Tracks: 26 Duration: 2:09:43 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 Let It Flow (05:31) 2 Don’t Go / Stay With Me (06:05) 3 Don’t Go / Stay With Me (The Individual) (04:39) 4 Broken Heart (instrumental) (08:09) 5 Lay Back in the Sun (single version) (03:44) 6 Cool Waves (instrumental) (03:05) 7 Electricity (03:50) 8 Spread Your Wings (instrumental) (06:17) 9 Come Together (03:23) 10 I Think I’m in Love (radio edit) (03:58) 11 Broken Heart (03:47) 12 Materia Primoris (The X-Files, main title) (03:34) 13 Broken Heart (instrumental) (04:20) 1 Stop Your Crying (05:16) 2 Anything More (instrumental) (05:35) 3 Rock and Roll (03:30) 4 Out of Sight (06:11) 5 I Didn’t Mean to Hurt You (instrumental) (05:13) 6 Going Down Slow (03:55) 7 Do It All Over Again (03:48) 8 On Fire (live) (07:21) 9 Amazing Grace (Peace on Earth) (07:04) 10 Do It All Over Again (live) (07:04) 11 Come Together (live) (04:17) 12 Going Down Slow (instrumental) (03:56) 13 Rock and Roll (instrumental) (06:02) |
 | Album: 14 of 18 Title: iTunes Live: London Sessions Released: 2008-03-11 Tracks: 5 Duration: 19:23 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 Sitting on Fire (04:02) 2 Lord Let It Rain on Me (03:19) 3 True Love Will Find You in the End (04:02) 4 Death Take Your Fiddle (03:23) 5 Walking With Jesus (04:37) |
 | Album: 15 of 18 Title: Songs in A&E Released: 2008-05-26 Tracks: 18 Duration: 51:46 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Harmony 1 (Mellotron) (00:24) 2 Sweet Talk (04:04) 3 Death Take Your Fiddle (03:13) 4 I Gotta Fire (02:28) 5 Soul on Fire (04:07) 6 Harmony 2 (Piano) (00:42) 7 Sitting on Fire (04:38) 8 Yeah Yeah (02:28) 9 You Lie You Cheat (03:04) 10 Harmony 3 (Voice) (00:18) 11 Baby I’m Just a Fool (07:07) 12 Don’t Hold Me Close (03:08) 13 Harmony 4 (The Old Man…) (01:32) 14 The Waves Crash In (04:08) 15 Harmony 5 (Accordion) (01:03) 16 Borrowed Your Gun (03:47) 17 Harmony 6 (Glockenspiel) (00:50) 18 Goodnight Goodnight (04:38) |
| Songs in A&E : Allmusic album Review : Who would have thought that Jason Pierces Spiritualized would have had any life in them after the rather uninspiring Amazing Grace in 2003? In the intervening five years, Pierce nearly died from double pneumonia. Near death experiences by their very nature are life-changing events. The music on Songs in A&E were recorded in that aftermath, but most of the album was written two years before he got sick; with so much of it about near death and survival, it feels like life imitating art. From the first notes of "Sweet Talk," its obvious that a very different Spiritualized is up and about; an acoustic guitar, a sparse drum kit, the voice quartet, a few horns, and a minimal bassline fuel it. Pierce sweetly croons to a loved one in waltz time; his words are simultaneously appeasing and accusatory. The gospel chorus isnt as overblown as it was on Amazing Grace or Let It Come Down. They are in a support role, offering Pierces reedy voice a fullness and authority it wouldnt have otherwise. The arrangement is lilting but powerful. How strange, then, the sounds of a ventilator that usher in the next track "Death Take Your Fiddle": "I think Ill drink myself into a coma/And Ill take every way out I can find/But morphine, codeine, Whisky, they wont alter/The way I feel/Now death is not around..."Death take your fiddle"/And play a song for me." Minor-key acoustic guitar and ghostly bass frame Pierce singing a mutant folk-blues that evokes Gary Davis "Death Dont Have No Mercy." The backing vocals float wordlessly like death angels, hovering around the vocalist and giving the tune an otherworldly quality. But this isnt a song about dying; its a song about coming close and cheating it; its eerie. The proof? The next two tracks: "I Gotta Fire," and "Soul on Fire." The former is a taut, "Gimme Shelter"-esque rocker, the latter, a lush, uptempo love song. "Sitting on Fire" is a beautifully orchestrated love song: its an admission of weakness and codependency but celebrates both of them at the same time: "Baby, Im sitting on fire/but the flames put a hole in my heart/when were together we stand so tall/But a part of me falls to the floor/Sets me free /I do believe itll burn up in me for the rest of my life." Strings, vibes, marimbas, and drums crash in to the center of the mix carrying the protagonist into oblivion. "Yeah, Yeah" is a scorching rocker that feels like the Bad Seeds meeting the old Spacemen 3. "You Lie You Cheat," crashes in Velvets style with acoustic guitar and screeching feedback. The chorus sings atop a flailing drum kit, distorted strings, and wailing electric guitar. The marimbas and strings that power "Baby, Im Just a Fool," sweetly underscore a very dark pop song, complete with "da-do-da-do-dat det-det-dos". It descends into beautifully textured chaos led by a loopy violin solo over seven minutes. Songs in A&E is the most consistent recording Spiritualized has issued since 1997s Ladies and Gentlemen We Are Floating in Space. It contains the best elements of the bands signature sound, and paradoxically hedonistic yet utterly spiritual lyric themes. That said, newly focused energy, willfully restrained arrangements, and taut compositions give the set a sheer emotional power that no Spiritualized recording has ever displayed before, making it, quite possibly, their finest outing yet. | ||
 | Album: 16 of 18 Title: Live At The 9:30 Club, Washington D.C. Released: 2008-07-25 Tracks: 15 Duration: 00:00 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 You Lie You Cheat (?) 2 Shine a Light (?) 3 Cheapster (?) 4 Electricity (?) 5 Soul on Fire (?) 6 Sweet Talk (?) 7 Sitting on Fire (?) 8 Walkin With Jesus (?) 9 Oh Baby (?) 10 Rated X (?) 11 Lay Back in the Sun (?) 12 Death Take Your Fiddle (?) 13 She Kissed Me (It Felt Like a Hit) (?) 14 Come Together (?) 15 Take Me to the Other Side (?) |
 | Album: 17 of 18 Title: Sweet Heart Sweet Light Released: 2012-04-16 Tracks: 11 Duration: 59:42 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Huh? (intro) (01:01) 2 Hey Jane (08:51) 3 Little Girl (03:39) 4 Get What You Deserve (06:46) 5 Too Late (03:45) 6 Headin’ for the Top Now (08:22) 7 Freedom (04:31) 8 I Am What I Am (04:37) 9 Mary (06:11) 10 Life Is a Problem (04:02) 11 So Long You Pretty Thing (07:51) |
| Sweet Heart Sweet Light : Allmusic album Review : Considering how literally revitalized Jason Pierce sounded on Songs in A & E and that he wrote much of Sweet Heart, Sweet Light on tour performing Ladies and Gentlemen...We Are Floating in Space in its entirety, its doubly disappointing that Spiritualizeds seventh album feels so contrived so often. While its unfair to expect a masterpiece every time Pierce steps into the studio, this album often echoes 2003s Amazing Grace, especially because he revisits indulgences like orchestral flourishes and gospel choirs (and throws in a childrens choir for good measure), which he finds all too easy to overuse. Indeed, throughout Sweet Heart, Sweet Light, its distressingly easy for him to slip into shorthand for heartache, redemption, danger, and dark nights of the soul, whether its the "Wild Horses"-esque ballad "Freedom," the Velvet Underground-channeling "Headin for the Top Now," or the maudlin ballads "Too Late" and "Life Is a Problem," which sound like bloated nursery rhymes instead of hymns, and play as self-pitying instead of anguished. Even more frustrating are near misses such as "I Am What I Am," which boasts a harrowing free jazz breakdown but has its impact dulled by another superfluous choir, and "Mary," a slow burner with potential that tries too hard and takes too long to reach a depth that isnt there. Sweet Heart, Sweet Lights highlights come early: "Hey Jane" is one of the most transcendent things Pierce has recorded in years, with a bright, poppy melody and a dark undercurrent that rides the instant when life feels especially vibrant because its in danger. When the song crashes, then rises as a Krautrock-ish drone with the coda "Sweet heart/Sweet light/Youre the love of my life" repeating like a mantra, its more spiritual than a thousand choirs would be at that moment. Meanwhile, "Little Girl"s soulful pop is as refined as the opening track is exuberant, and nearly as accomplished, and "Get What You Deserve" nails the menacing vibe the albums later songs fail to hit. While Sweet Heart, Sweet Light isnt a disaster, its just not as gripping as Songs in A & E or Ladies and Gentlemen...We Are Floating in Space. | ||
 | Album: 18 of 18 Title: And Nothing Hurt Released: 2018-09-07 Tracks: 9 Duration: 48:10 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify TrackSamples AlbumCover | 1 A Perfect Miracle (04:46) 2 I’m Your Man (04:28) 3 Here It Comes (The Road) Let’s Go (04:41) 4 Let’s Dance (05:11) 5 On the Sunshine (05:00) 6 Damaged (04:57) 7 The Morning After (07:42) 8 The Prize (05:24) 9 Sail On Through (05:58) |