Spiritualized
Let It Come Down

THE REVIEW

Fourth work by Spiritualized from Jason Pierce, former half of Spacemen 3, who concluded their arc with "Recurring," an album during the recording of which Pierce and Peter Kember (aka Sonic Boom) broke up and composed and recorded the songs separately without speaking to each other. The only song in which they both appeared was a cover of "When Tomorrow Hits" by Mudhoney, rendered with a dialogue of acid guitars where you could easily distinguish Pierce's telecaster and Kember's vox, and where the two competed over who played and sang more "fucked up". Pierce has been the most prolific so far, and by comparing the records of Spiritualized and Spectrum (Sonic Boom's latest incarnation), you can recognize the two components of Spacemen 3's sound. More sixties and symphonic for Pierce; more monotonous and minimal, à la Suicide (Martin Rev, Alan Vega) for Kember. Spiritualized this time records with an entire symphony orchestra, and the sound turns out to be weighed down, far from the alienated blues of the debut "Laser Guided Melodies" (with "Run" cover by JJ Cale), or the distorted bluesy rock of "Pure Phase". The symphonic turn was already seen in the previous "Ladies and Gentlemen We Are Floating in Space", where the splendid "Broken Heart" appeared, a love song/prayer lost in space. Because the space metaphor, directly cited by Jason Pierce in album titles or pseudonyms (as a producer, he always signs as J Spaceman), is what best explains the music of Spiritualized: expansive, light, timeless, spiritual music (sic!). However, this "Let it Come Down" leaves me cold, it is not as beautiful as the first three must-have albums and feels like something we've already heard. They remain, however, a group that “talk it like they walk it”. Respect. This time just that.