Records: Spiritualized's Ladies and gentlemen we are floating in space

By Daniel Silk

While the Spacemen 3 took drugs to make music to take drugs to, Spiritualized, headed by Jason Spaceman, have realized that their music can be a drug. The liner notes of their new record, Ladies and gentlemen we are floating in space, treat the music as if it were doctor-prescribed, declaring: "Spiritualized is used to treat the heart and soul."

The success of ...space lies in its ever-present pulse. When I say pulse, I mean heartbeat. Spiritualized's music exudes vitality, and it keeps pinching itself to make sure it's alive. And it is alive; unlike many noisy acts, Spiritualized never lose the beat nor degenerate into aimless feedback. While often loud and cacophonic, the music on ...space never skids out of control; it wraps itself around the pulse and holds on. "I Think I'm In Love" begins with a thick keyboard octave separating repetitions of a bass line. When the drums come in, the song reaches a level of aural giddiness that approximates a romantic heart flutter.

While that song bounces along in static excitement, others on Space float face down. "Home of the Brave" begins as delicately as a lullaby, with Spaceman's voice barely above a whisper: "When I'm not with her, I'm not myself/I sometimes have my breakfast right off of a mirror." The rumble of the band gradually increases in volume, growing like a sense of dread to the point where it seems it will tear the song apart, but never rises above the softly crooned vocals or the light splashing of the piano.

Spiritualized's music transcends categorization, fearlessly employing horns, strings, and true to their moniker, spiritual vocal stylings to create a broader sonic vision. It's unfair to even call it "rock;" it's music that clearly reflects certain emotional and spiritual states. While songs like "Electricity" sound like lust, others are the sound of picking up the pieces on Sunday morning. The most powerful track, "Broken Heart," begins: "There's a lot of things that need to be done/But I have a broken heart." The strings and percussion build to a point where the music literally sobs before they're brought down, allowing the song to gently cry itself to sleep. And as the tears wash over you, you realize that the record's title makes sense--because ...space is a floating tour of the human heart.(Dedicated)

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