In Strict Tempo, vol. 53: You Know It's True
Last month my social media was abuzz with news that Spiritualized were going to be playing their second album Pure Phase in full at the Barbican.
So this week I’m going to be writing about Spiritualized and how I believe they’re one of - if not the - greatest British bands of all time.
Formed out of the ashes of Spacemen 3, the first proper Spiritualized release was Lazer Guided Melodies back in 1992, setting the tone of what was to come, LGM was a bluesy, Gospel influenced record, drenched in horns, harmonica and overdriven guitar, combining all Jason Pierce’s musical loves into one musically loud album, but Pierce’s gentle, ethereal vocals lend it a transcendal air that led critics to classify it - weirdly - as “Dream Pop”. In 1995 Spiritualized released their second album, under the Spiritualized Electric Mainline moniker, titled Pure Phase. When you consider everything else going on in British music in 1995 this album sits as a complete outlier, incorporating electronic elements without being a 4/4 dance album, but keeping that traditional guitar sounds. It works in an organic way, never really sounding forced, and there’s still a healthy dose of the blues in there to satisfy fans of the first album. There’s definitely elements of what acts like the Chemical Brothers would do on certain tracks, but I imagine it would have got a rough reception from your typical mid-90’s dance fan.
Shortly after the release of Pure Phase, and before they entered the studio to record what would be their third album Pierce split with his long-term girlfriend, and Spiritualized member, Kate Radley who married the Verve’s Richard Ashcroft. Minor tabloid fodder, it had the effect of lumping Spiritualized in with the Britpop scene even though their music couldn’t be futher from it.
That third album would eventually come out in 1997, Ladies & Gentlemen We Are Floating In Space is in my eyes a masterpiece. The original CD packaging was packaged to resemble a pack of prescription medicine in a foil blister - early copies of the album came with each track on a 3” mini CD as if each one was a tablet - and when I first saw it I was captivated. I immediately bought a copy and it was the hottest object in school amongst my peers. Sadly that original copy is lost to the sands of time, but I’ve got the similarly packaged 2007 reissue in a box at home.
There’s been loads written on Ladies & Gentlemen already so I’m not going to do a deep dive on it, rather share my personal memories. My wife and I were due to get married in the Spring of 2020 and when planning our wedding we had a shortlist of potential first dance songs. After seeing Spiritualized play the album from start to finish at the Barbican in 2016 we knew the title track (the original version, with the elements of Elvis’ Can’t Help Falling In Love) was a really strong contender. Eventually we both agreed it would be our first dance and we got on with planning the rest of the day. Then COVID-19 hit, and everything went to shit. We were fortunate in that we didn’t lose anyone close to us, although some family members fell seriously ill. The cancellation of our wedding was a huge disappointment to us, but in the greater scheme of things the pandemic could have been a lot worse. Eventually we eloped to Scotland a year later to marry in the Highlands, but we never got to have that first dance.
To see Spiritualized live is life-affirming. I’ve seen them in a number of places from The Royal Albert Hall to Glastonbury and loads in between. Unlike your usual frontman Jason Pierce often sits/stands off to the side of the stage, the focus being on the sounds rather than the guy making them. That show at the Barbican was something else, note-perfect from start to finish, with only a minor technical hitch during I Think I’m In Love. We both left on a high, along with everyone else in the venue.
Spiritualized continue to release music today. After Ladies & Gentlemen came a live album recorded in the Royal Albert Hall (a venue they’d return to a decade later to preview their new album Sweet Heart Sweet Light) that has possibly the most heartbreaking 5 minutes and fifty-three seconds ever committed to tape during Broken Heart and ranks as one of the best live albums of all time. Further albums followed, Let It Come Down and Amazing Grace, neither of which got the reception they deserved, purely as a result of following Ladies & Gentlemen. Pierce was then hospitalised with Pneumonia for some time, which inspired Songs In A&E, which was followed by Sweet Heart Sweet Light, which many said (and I’d agree with) was a return to form. In 2018 we got And Nothing Hurt, which was followed in 2022 by Everything Was Beautiful, both strong albums in their own right.
So that’s my Spiritualized story. There’s so much more I could write - especially on Ladies & Gentlemen which remains one of my favourite albums but I think sometimes it’s better to let the music do the talking. So here’s a playlist of tunes I hope you’ll enjoy.
Come Together
On to this weeks new music then, and I’ve kept them in a separate playlist just in case I’ve not managed to convince you how amazing Spirtiualized are. It feels like it’s getting quieter all the time in the lead-up to Xmas. A couple of places have gone early with their End of Year stuff, I’ll do mine later.
Andy Stott - Faith In Strangers [Modern Love]
Timely tenth anniversary vinyl reissue for this one. Has it really been a decade since it came out? It still sounds like little else even now.
Warm Currency - Petals [Horn of Plenty]
Nice minimalist spoken-word folksy stuff here, all the way from down under. Worth spending some time to sit with, I’ve only given it a brief listen so far but am going back to it right after I finish this.
Lifted - Trellis [Peak Oil]
Typically Peak Oil this, meandering electronic explorations in and out of the ether.
Quiet Husband - Religious Equipment [Drowned By Locals]
Richie Culver divides opinion for sure, and this one under his Quiet Husband alias is no different. It’s a journey in and out of pain and addiction, harsh noise tracks interspersed with brutally punishing techno. It’s not an easy listen, and I’m not even sure it’s a rewarding one, but I’m glad something like this exists, even if it’s just to challenge our ideas.
UEVPD - UEVPD [World of Echo]
I’ve previewed the singles off this already, but now here’s the full album from former Mosquitoes and Komare member Dominic Goodman. This is claustrophobic, intense, music that sounds like it’s direct from the middle of a black hole. The usual touchpoints apply on this, Actress, Mika Vainio, Raime etc etc. In otherwords, right up my street.
Known For - Catching A Stray [Romsey]
Known For have been making a bit of a name for themselves in London’s punk scene for a while yet, and they’ve just dropped a new EP. Ibiza doesn’t sound like anything I’ve ever heard on the White Island, more suited to the back room of a New Cross boozer than the main room in Pacha, but that doesn’t matter one bit. Fierce, furious and not giving a fuck this is raw as it comes and the kind of thing we should all be making really.
Winsome - Tab/24Gb/Who
Not on Spotify this one, so you’ll need to search it out on Bandcamp or vinyl. You’ll be pleased you made the effort though, these three dubby steppers making a nice antidote to all that broken techno you’ve been hearing. Whilst you’re in a digging mood, be sure to check out his other two 12”s, they’re on more of a reggae tip, but are absolutely incredible (not to mention incredibly rare).
That’s it for this week - thanks as always for reading, sharing, commenting etc. Please share with anyone else you think will enjoy it!