Spiritualized - Let It Come Down 2LP (Ivory vinyl)

Received a 7.7 rating from Pitchfork. The long awaited new album from SPIRITUALIZED. From the opening lullaby of ÒA Perfect MiracleÓ through to the Morse Code fadeout at the close of ÒSail on Through,Ó Spiritualized wrap layer upon layer of gloriously transcendent sound together to create a mesmerizing and cinematic collection of songs. There are points where the waves of blissful noise are almost overwhelmingÑthe thunderous climax of ÒOn the SunshineÓ; the spectral waltz of ÒThe PrizeÓ; the towering guitar solo on ÒIÕm Your ManÓÑwhere one can imagine the studioÕs speakers vibrating themselves off of the walls. Which is an incredible feat when you discover that the album was conceived and recorded almost entirely by one manÑJASON PIERCE aka J SPACEMANÑin an upstairs room in his east London home. Whereas bedroom recording is commonplace for a generation of musicians whoÕve grown up with horizon-expanding tech, Spiritualized have long used the studio as they would an extra member of the bandÑas a vital building block in the construction of some of the most cherished records of the modern era. This time would be very different. With no grounding in digital recording, Jason had to learn everything from scratch. For the listener, the nine tracks on And Nothing Hurt effortlessly replicate the scale and power of SpiritualizedÕs previous releases, whether itÕs the sonic blowback of ÒOn the Sunshine,Ó the last dime in the jukebox love letter of ÒLetÕs DanceÓ or the swell of an imaginary orchestra that seems to lift ÒDamagedÓ towards the heavens as it plays out.