Review Summary: Spiritualized embraces symphonic sounds and gospel choirs on an album uplifting as it is heartbreaking.
Spiritualized, a British rock band led by singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist Jason Pierce, has created some of the most important albums of the 90's and 2000's. Rising from the ashes of another psychedelic rock act, Spacemen 3, Spiritualized came to prominence with two full length albums, 'Laser Guided Melodies' and 'Pure Phase'. But in 1997, he made an everlasting mark on music and hit the nail on the head with 'Ladies and Gentlemen we are Floating in Space'. And following this beautifully written blend of indie rock/psychedelic rock/space rock, following such an epic and expansive album was going to be a challenge. And 'Let it Come Down', released in 2001, manages to impressively live up to its predecessors.
The album opens with one of it's nosiest moments. 'On Fire', similar to the likes of 'Electricity' from 'Ladies and Gentlemen...', is loaded with energy. Fuzzy electric guitars, piano and gospel choirs fill the ears as the track drives forward, giving the album an energetic note to start on. A wide, grandiose feeling runs across the majority of 'Let it Come Down', continuing with more choir, horns, and strummed acoustic guitars on 'Do It All Over Again', a track that feels like Pierce was shooting for a 60's pop vibe, with a sugar sweet chorus. Considering the band takes so much influence from 60's pop, this is no surprise. 'Don't Just Do Something', a track filled with devastating emotion as the best work of Spiritualized often is. Opening on isolated strings and cracked lead vocals from Pierce, the track moves from a subtle introduction into a gentle ballad with sweeping, hazy guitar, big orchestral parts and chiming guitar leading the way. Pierce brings in his poetic and self loathing lyrically qualities on this track (I'm gonna drown before my ship comes in...).
'Out of Sight' again, starts of as a ballad. But as the track progresses, it takes the form of a noisy, chaotic, heavy garage rock song filled with energy, as the strings melt seamlessly into noisy walls of electric guitars, almost fully embracing the 'Wall of Sound' production technique. 'The Twelve Steps' is in the same territory, before the album flows into a few more ballads. 'The Straight and the Narrow' takes on dreary vocal, horns and guitars as one of the best tracks on the album takes shape, 'I Didn't Mean to Hurt You.' A symphonic epic, with vast string section that feel like they stretch for miles, with gospel choirs backing Pierce's tender vocal delivery on a track that is arguably the beautiful centrepiece of 'Let It Come Down'. 'Stop Your Crying is euphoric and uplifting, filled with equally large scale orchestras, before the album takes a dip in quality, albeit a very small one.
'Anything More' sounds a bit underwhelming after the previous two tracks, a ballad that nearly repeats what has been hears on 'The Straight and Narrow'. 'Won't get to Heaven' is loaded to the brim with instruments of any kind, but at 10 minutes feels a little under the quality of the bands previous epic, 'Cop Shoot Cop', yet another from 'Ladies and Gentlemen...' 'Lord Can You Hear Me' is a beautiful ballad with tender picked guitar an a organ swirling in the background, bringing in the gospel choirs to a near tear jerking effect.
While there are weak areas, 'Let it Come Down' is highly impressive, taking on gospel and symphonic styles and embracing them into another release packed with emotion and brilliant song-craft. A completely different beast to 'Ladies...', but a work that deserved to be appreciated in it's own right.
