Soul Serenade
There are few albums that actually make me want to use the term space rock. The new Spiritualized record, Songs in A&E, is one of few that actually sends me spiraling weightless through the heavens. From moving melodies that lift you skyward, to chaotic soundscapes bursting like a picture from the Hubble Telescope, it's music that just makes me think of starry skies and cloudy galaxies.
But I mean that's just me responding to what I'd heard about Spiritualized, before I'd actually heard Spiritualized. It's a pretentious way of saying, this is a beautiful album. Songs in A&E is graceful, gorgeous, and epic. These are melodies that will stick with you from the moment you hear them. These are very earnest, very human songs, not movements from a rock opera for the far future.
"Soul on Fire" is a soaring gospel anthem, a song about a love that's gonna last as long as the stars themselves. J. Spaceman (real name Jason Pierce) sings of holding on for dear life to a lover who "set my soul on fire" and stirs "a hurricane inside my veins."
"You Lie You Cheat" is one of the better rockers, all scorching guitar feedback and distorted drums with gospel harmonies on top, while J. Spaceman takes vows against someone who's burned all their bridges.
My only real problem with this album is, it's more a record of melodies than songs. Huge, huge, melodies, squeezed for every last drop of emotion, raised to the loftiest heights; it gets exhausting pretty quick! But it's this straight approach that makes the album so instantly loveable, makes it feel so familiar, brings it down to earth.
Aretha Franklin makes great "playing Evil Mummy with your 9-year old sister" music.
I'm back home in California and busy again and stoked about it and going to be writing a bit more. The people have spoken, long epic reviews are out, short lunch break entries are sweet. Two entries in three weeks is weak. I'm shooting for three entries in two weeks.
Cheers!
But I mean that's just me responding to what I'd heard about Spiritualized, before I'd actually heard Spiritualized. It's a pretentious way of saying, this is a beautiful album. Songs in A&E is graceful, gorgeous, and epic. These are melodies that will stick with you from the moment you hear them. These are very earnest, very human songs, not movements from a rock opera for the far future.
"Soul on Fire" is a soaring gospel anthem, a song about a love that's gonna last as long as the stars themselves. J. Spaceman (real name Jason Pierce) sings of holding on for dear life to a lover who "set my soul on fire" and stirs "a hurricane inside my veins."
"You Lie You Cheat" is one of the better rockers, all scorching guitar feedback and distorted drums with gospel harmonies on top, while J. Spaceman takes vows against someone who's burned all their bridges.
My only real problem with this album is, it's more a record of melodies than songs. Huge, huge, melodies, squeezed for every last drop of emotion, raised to the loftiest heights; it gets exhausting pretty quick! But it's this straight approach that makes the album so instantly loveable, makes it feel so familiar, brings it down to earth.
* * *
Aretha Franklin makes great "playing Evil Mummy with your 9-year old sister" music.
I'm back home in California and busy again and stoked about it and going to be writing a bit more. The people have spoken, long epic reviews are out, short lunch break entries are sweet. Two entries in three weeks is weak. I'm shooting for three entries in two weeks.
Cheers!
by dan at 6/23/2008 10:22:00 PM
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