After the so-so Let It Come Down and the abysmal Amazing Grace, I had become convinced that J. Spaceman's best days were behind him. I wasn't entirely sure that I would even take a chance with Songs in A&E, but I'm glad I did. Spiritualized's latest album, much their masterpiece Ladies and Gentlemen We Are Floating in Space, is an epic meditation on mortality. However, while Ladies and Gentlemen pondered the real danger of going too far in pursuit of a high and never coming back, A&E is about slow deterioration and eventual quietus due to illness. The specter of death hangs in the background, and in some cases the foreground, throughout. Even while singing about the fire within, Spaceman sounds as if it may soon be extinguished permanently. It is likely that the tone of A&E is influenced by Spaceman's recent life-threatening illness. It seems that his near miss has caused him to find his purpose once again.
Thursday, July 17, 2008
Spiritualized: Songs in A&E
After the so-so Let It Come Down and the abysmal Amazing Grace, I had become convinced that J. Spaceman's best days were behind him. I wasn't entirely sure that I would even take a chance with Songs in A&E, but I'm glad I did. Spiritualized's latest album, much their masterpiece Ladies and Gentlemen We Are Floating in Space, is an epic meditation on mortality. However, while Ladies and Gentlemen pondered the real danger of going too far in pursuit of a high and never coming back, A&E is about slow deterioration and eventual quietus due to illness. The specter of death hangs in the background, and in some cases the foreground, throughout. Even while singing about the fire within, Spaceman sounds as if it may soon be extinguished permanently. It is likely that the tone of A&E is influenced by Spaceman's recent life-threatening illness. It seems that his near miss has caused him to find his purpose once again.
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