"Songs In A&E" is such a great comeback for Jason Pierce.an album that its up with his best work or even better.i dare to say the word "masterpiece" for a spiritualized album again!

I haven't listened to it enough to have any opinions one way or another. It's still just pretty underwhelming right now. We'll see, though...

I will check it out.

I shot my load when i found out J. Pierce was making a new album a while back. Though "Amazing Grace" wasn't that great, this year seems to be the year in which old geezers stick it to the younger bands: R.E.M.'s best album in over a decade, same goes for the Breeders (didn't like Title TK), Gutter Twins are stellar, Nick Cave's new album is his best (arguably) since "Murder Ballads," and the new Portishead slays (i mentioned loving it before Pitchfork praised it so highly, so i win).

So, basically, i am downloading it now and will probably dig it. But i like anything J. Spaceman does, so that might not count really.

J is officially a geezer now?

quote:

Originally posted by youandwhosearmy:
J is officially a geezer now?

Spacemen 3 did get together in 1982, so he certainly qualifies as a music-geezer at least. That's a quarter century after all.

Yeah, i meant in the world of rock n' roll he's a geezer.

I think this album is amazing, though some reviews say that it's cliched Spiritualized, i feel it easily beats out Amazing Grace and possibly Let it Come Down.

The ballads are much more concise and the rockers are more interesting in my opinion. Plus, J.'s vocals seem more buried in the mix, which i actually prefer.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: CleverName84,

quote:

The ballads are much more concise

You go to Spiritualized for conciseness?

Personally I don't think he'll ever top Let It Come Down.

I can see how that would be interpreted like that, but it's not really what i meant. I thought the ballads on his last two albums got kind of aimless as they progressed. Sure, nothing tops "Won't get to Heaven" on this album, but the ballads seem less ... I don't know how to finish that thought. I guess i just like how this album doesn't overstay its welcome like Amazing Grace did for me. It starts, there are some good Stooges-inspired rockers, some nice ballads that don't dip too far into the cheesy terrain, repeat, throw in those "harmony" songs, and it's over before you know it.

I guess i like the standard album-length of at least trying to keep things near 40 minutes. It seems to pack more punch to me that way, at seems like some of the bad ideas will get cut from the mix, which is what B-sides are for.

I wasn't trying to attack you my friend.

even if everything here sounds familiar for a spiritualized fan , from the other hand you can definitely see a big difference in the way he s writing n singing.
these tunes have a very strong 60s feeling (!) . simple but very strong melodies wearing a classic but now concise spiritualized cloak.these songs naked could make a perfect psych-folk album of the late 60s.his voice , like a heartbroken Dylan in some parts , amplify for sure that feeling.
definitely a lot better than "Amazing Grace" , it has nothin to do with the overblown (but genious)production of "Let It Come Down" , sits more comfortably next to "Ladies and Gentlemen..." ,but its more down to earth , more human and personal (?) than any other spiritualized release.

imagine a man in a hospital bed in the Accident and Emergency ward (A&E).the only sounds are his slow breath n the bland sound of the cold medical machines.in a white room.nothin to hear,nothin to do.near to death.n he s dreaming.his mind is floatin in space , in stories , in noises , in love.cinematic harmony parts wake up his dreams while his dreaming or maybe dip his soul to dark trips.like a ND (near death) experience.whatever...

i dont know how to explain it but from the first listen that album brought tears to my eyes...

After only two listens i can say that it's their best since "Ladies & gentlemen...". Time would tell if it can top it. Anyway it's a great record with great arrangements and unique production.

I'm really digging the new spiritualized record. there is some great stuff on there. really ambient, free form, relaxed vibe. I found a ton of new videos on their new site too:

http://www.spiritualizedharmonies.com/

I'm really digging that someone resurrected this thread and it was re-inserted toward the top of the Indie Forum.

No mention of this becoming a Best New Music recipient from the almighty p4k, but i feel this album deserved a higher score and much more praise from other publications.

Pierce definitely wins the award of comeback of the year in my opinion, given the fact that the Portishead album wasn't so much a comeback as it was a triumphant re-envisaging of their prior output... And i consider things comebacks only when they previously stunk up the joint a bit, or sagged to a noticeable degree (which Jason Pierce did).

Great album, the Harmony songs really tie the room together, and the tunes flow so seamlessly that I want it to last forever. Too bad it's one of his shortest albums, and definitely the shortest of his amazing albums.

This album is at the top of my 2008 list right now. Lots and lots of great stuff. "Death Take Your Fiddle" might be my favorite track of the year so far. It's great to see J still kicking out the good stuff.

Good album, however it is not even close to Ladies and Gentlemen. For me there was something magical about Spiritualized's music at that time which has not been there since.

Songs in A&E is my first Spiritualized experience. I enjoyed what i've heard. I like the mix of ballads, rockers and short classical interludes, for a total of 18 tracks (!) into 51 minutes. I think that the second half of the record is a bit more interesting.

Of course it's not even close to Ladies and Gentlemen, but does that matter? It's a great late-period album from Jason and it doesn't ruin his legacy of drug-dirges and meditations on death. The dude's been writing the same song for 20 years now, and still finds new and interesting ways to do it. I think that's about enough cause to celebrate, but i could be wrong.

eggtweedy, i'd suggest Ladies and Gentlemen We Are Floating In Space, it's phenomenal, and the purest distillation of Pierce's songwriting. Amazing album.

I saw Spiritualized at the Pitchfork fest yesterday and was very impressed. The whole set sounded awesome. They opened up with a towering version of "You Lie You Cheat" and even broke out some old Spacemen stuff by closing with "Take Me to the Other Side". Freakin' great, man. Definitely recommended.

that's a great quote you found, sans