Let It Come Down - Spiritualized

...album in '98, followed by Let it Come Down in 2001, which continues in the path set out by Ladies and Gentlemen, but goes further down the line of a more complete orchestral sound. To illustrate the point, I can tell you that there was full brass, two string, and a complete woodwind section. Oh and the London Gospel Community Choir. Plus a long list of various Fenders, Gibsons, and Voxes. That should give you a better idea!

So to ...
...into you, and if you let it, will carry you away in the various melodies.

Track 5, 'The twelve steps' starts with the high-energy guitar-led magnificence of previous singles 'Electricity' and 'Medication'. A dirty, grungey vocal, evocative of that Ugly Kid Joe single from the early '90s leads into a funky interlude of sampled police car sirens and squelchy beats. But wait for the vocal, and the speed reappears with a vengeance. This ... more

Spiritualized is one band I am truly fanatical about, but I promise to try very hard not to enthuse to the point that you have to reach for a bucket. The music is on the one hand beautifully orchestrated, yet maintains a firm and constant grip on guitar driven rock-pop (that phrase just doesn't do them justice!), with a touch of jazz stylings, and a liberal scattering of blues.

A little background for you. Regardless of the moniker, Spiritualized is basically one man, Jason Pierce (or 'Spaceman'), and whoever he decides to have in his band at any time. After the last album proper, Ladies and Gentlemen We are Floating in Space (1997) he famously parted company with the three other core members of the band, but carried on and recruited replacements. Pierce was previously half of the '80s psychedelic rock-pop outfit Spacemen 3 with Pete Kember, and it was from the less than amicable split (see a pattern here?), Spiritualized was born.

The first two Spiritualized albums were Lazer Guided Melodies (1992) and Pure Phase ('95), which were more heavily electro in feel, with synths and widespread use of FX pedals. Spiritualized's breakthrough album, Ladies and Gentlemen, took a more organic, blues basis, with gospel choirs and pronounced musical arrangement. After Ladies and Gentlemen came the Live at the Albert Hall album in '98, followed by Let it Come Down in 2001, which continues in the path set out by Ladies and Gentlemen, but goes further down the line of a more complete orchestral sound. To illustrate the point, I can tell you that there was full brass, two string, and a complete woodwind section. Oh and the London Gospel Community Choir. Plus a long list of various Fenders, Gibsons, and Voxes. That should give you a better idea!

So to the tracks. With 'On fire', the album opens with a definite blues inspiration. The first few notes are a piano repeating the central riff, before strong keyboards and guitars come in marking the melody and beat. Pierce's unmistakable, gravelly vocal (think maybe Mercury Rev's Jonothan Donahue) comes in at the same time, shortly joined by gospel backings, and brass punctuation. This is a fabulously full-bodied track, mid tempo with a rousing chorus and a toe-tapping beat. The end of the track shows all elements brought into full effect, with the repeated 'Into your soul' lyric, and the guitar riff that is reminiscent of the track 'Cop shoot cop' from Ladies and Gentlemen. This doesn't seem to have been released as a single yet, but it has definite potential.

The second track, 'Do it all over again', is less overwhelming, although interestingly was the third single, most probably as it's a tamer, more radio-friendly track. With a catchy chorus, this is more of a traditional rock-pop song, still high quality, but drier, less exciting - this is the closest Spiritualized get to the housewife's choice type of single. Not one of the high points of the album, although you will probably find yourself singing the chorus as you do the washing-up.

Moving on to track 3, 'Don't just do something', the song is the first that realises the beautiful orchestration that Spiritualized can do so well. A gentle track, using strings and oboes as much as keyboards, this reminds me of Ladies and Gentlemen's 'Broken heart'. That is, until it moves into an almost country and western styled song, with gorgeous gospel backing and a real sway-along tempo. Lighters at the ready, kids. Without the string backing and multiple layers, this could be a really dull track, but the complexity makes it something really very special.

'Out of sight' was the second single, and is track 4. As in previous tracks, it starts softly with vocals, guitar and piano introducing the song. Strings are brought in, and soon enough, powerful chords and an emphatic lead guitar wash over you. This tracks alternates between the soothing and the energising, with a great brass section interplaying with the strings and guitars to create another many-layered, high quality track. The way that Spiritualized tracks progress really works its way into you, and if you let it, will carry you away in the various melodies.

Track 5, 'The twelve steps' starts with the high-energy guitar-led magnificence of previous singles 'Electricity' and 'Medication'. A dirty, grungey vocal, evocative of that Ugly Kid Joe single from the early '90s leads into a funky interlude of sampled police car sirens and squelchy beats. But wait for the vocal, and the speed reappears with a vengeance. This is a song about addiction, as the title suggests, and the lyrics 'The only time I'm drink and drug free/ Is when I don't have to pay for what I need' demonstrate Pierce's mentality to a T.

Onwards to track 6, 'The straight and the narrow'. Follows on perfectly from 'The twelve steps' in sentiment, but takes the tone more of 'Don't just do something'. Another heart-felt and slow-moving track, built for swaying to in a kinda Americana stylee. 'The problem with the straight and the narrow is it's so thin/ I keep sliding off to the side'. The pace and melody of this track could easily nestle it in with a whole world of MOR tracks, but the lyrics and atmosphere are a constant reminder that it would not make as easy bed-fellows as the first listen might suggest.

My personal favourite so far is seventh, 'I didn't mean to hurt you', which starts oh so gently with the vocal, a tinkling piano single-note melody repeated, until the full instrumentation, including gospel backing, guitars, lush strings, and oboe build the track up to a desperately melancholic but shimmering and exhilarating peak. The track then breaks down to the long drawn-out string notes, until it returns with a majestic instrumental climax in which the lead guitar gets a nice but understated outing. Think the exquisite string-led force of Bjork's 'Joga' and you wouldn't be far off. This consists of just one six-line verse, which is sung several times over the varied and genuinely breath-taking soundscapes.

Maintaining the high comes 'Stop your crying', the first single that was released from this album. A big bass drum marks the beat, while guitars, brass, and those strings and gospel singers again take this track above and beyond the staple guitar-led rock-pop model. This song has grown on me massively: it was the first I'd heard from this album when it was released last year and I wasn't won over. But in the context of a complete Spiritualized album it seems perfect.

Track 9, 'Anything more' slips back into the slower mood of earlier tracks. Whilst the song itself sounds as though it could have been taken from one of the earlier albums, it's here where you really notice the progression in style towards more refined arrangements. Whether or not you prefer the rawer sound of the earlier albums is really personal choice. Let it Come Down is certainly a more grown-up, elegant album.

'Won't get to heaven' starts very slowly, and you'd be forgiven for checking your volume controls. Barely audible tinkling triangles and double bass plucking continue for just under a minute before the piano commences the single note melody. Shortly afterwards, the reverbed guitar recognisable from the earlier albums appears, partnered with again, a delicate string accompaniment. The choruses blossom from the pared-down verses into a big, floribunda rose with gospel accompaniment and fabulous arrangements. Here the harmonica also makes a noticeable appearance, in a hypnotic extended interlude that reminds me to a certain extent of 'Cop shoot cop' as mentioned earlier. This is one to definitely lose yourself in, for all ten and a half minutes of it.

The album ends with 'Lord can you hear me', which started life as a Spaceman 3 track. This version, is, in keeping with Let it Come Down, a blissful rework, the gospels fit the track beautifully, the orchestration works well, and the only hints to its origins lie in Pierce's distinctive voice and the use of dumbed-down electric guitars. A gently rolling melody leaps out of the one-dimensional mould approximately half-way through, into a mass of sliding electric guitars and full choral backing, comprising a blistering finale to the track and the album.

I don't really need to tell you that I love this album. The question is, will you? If you liked Ladies and Gentlemen, I think you will. If you hated it, favouring either of the two earlier albums, you probably won't. If you're unfamiliar with Spiritualized but like Radiohead, Velvet Underground, Beta Band, or Mercury Rev, you should probably check them out. My own personal definition of the sound would probably be suicide rock, because some tracks are just so wrist-slashingly melancholic. However, seeing Spiritualized play live has to be one of the most invigorating experiences ever, and if you get the chance, I would strongly recommend it.

The album comes on CD and on 2-disc vinyl. The CD itself has 2 formats, but the difference is purely aesthetic, one comes as a standard CD box, the 'Special Edition' has the cover image sunken into a plastic casing. All eleven tracks are present on both. Coming to just over 63 minutes, Let it Come Down is released on BMG so you shouldn't have any difficulty finding it. Best price? Cd-wow.com of course, at £8.99 for the CD. As for my rating, it loses one star for purely personal reasons, only because I think earlier albums have been better. But turn it up loud and let the sound wash over you and you may think differently...

For more info:
www.spiritualized.com
www.no-fi.com:16080/spiritualized/index.html
www.allmusic.com
www.cdwow.com
 

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