Songs in A&E

by

Spiritualized

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Spiritualized return with their first new album since 2003's "Amazing Grace". Since then frontman Jason Pierce was brushed with death and an unpleasant respiratory disease.

The fifth studio album (in 18 years) from his drone-rock group finds Pierce in even more fragile condition than usual. A former heroin addict, he has been through the wars, a bout of pneumonia leaving him in intensive care.

Conflict (romantic, political and psychological) and recovery (in terms of forgiveness and acceptance) are the themes of a gritty little masterpiece that delivers emotional wallop, simultaneously harrowing and gorgeous. Pierce frames his weak voice with the textural detail of strings, choirs and squalls of feedback.

Most of these songs were written before his bout with illness with the newest material here being some gorgeous instrumental interludes ("H1-6") composed in honour of friend, Harmony Korine for whom he composed the score for last year's film, "Mister Lonely" (and whose wife, Rachel duets with him on "Don't Hold Me Close").

What Spiritualized do is record depression and hell along with joy, mania and heaven. Epic in the sense in of a great journey, "Songs in A&E" is a marvel and a struggle to enjoy.

A winter of despair and a spring of hope, an epoch of belief and the epoch of incredulity, we are all going direct to heaven and we were all going direct the other way.

Entering the world of Spiritualized is seeing the views from the highest mountains and staring into the nadir. Pierce sings of a sweet-talking angle, then switches to the thinking of drinking himself into a coma, as the sound of a ventilator fills his lungs.

"Death play a fiddle, play a song and I will sing along". Yet the bipolar swings back. "Baby you set my soul on fire... I have got a hurricane inside my veins and want to stay forever".

The album's central wig-out moment, "Baby I'm Just A Fool", builds from simple strumming to a free jazz blow out.

This was always Pierce's genius: the ability to take such simplicity and make it seem effortlessly affecting.

"Songs in A & E " is full of Pierce's struggles and all our struggles. Minds that try to fly elevated and bodies that drag us down to the animal. "When we are together we stand so tall, but part of me falls to the floor."

The album fills you with joy and tears. But this is what Spiritualized always do - admittedly brilliantly.

The grim reaper's boney fingerprints are all over this album.

But "Songs In A&E" is ultimately positive and strangely life-affirming despite ending with the words: ''funeral parlour, funeral parlour...''.

The only criticism is that there is little new ground.

But the power of Spiritualized is the fear, pain, joy and love are so contagious.

Songs in A + E really drags you down to the worst of times and takes you up to the best of times.

Just as a coclusion, , this warm, crackly mess of a record comes as an unexpected but welcome surprise.

Displaying most of the aspects that make indie rock worthwhile, Pierce has chosen to make his most life-affirming record after suffering from his poorest health. It seems life can be strange, and mercifully, surprising. Now, more than ever, Spiritualized are less about the trip into the outer limits and more about the frailty of love and mystery of individual existence. As such, "Songs in A & M" may be his finest moment.

Standouts : "Death Take Your Fiddle", "Sitting On Fire".

I have to agree with the man who said the lyrics here are the sticking point. The arrangements are great,...classic T Rex strings at some points. There's a good variation in song styles,....BUT then poor J Spaceman's voice has suffered. I could deal with this if the lyrics weren't so twee,though.

Yeah,I can hear the hatred rising now in all the "Brit Pop" idolizers,....but this is just too short of the mark too many times for me to not keep skipping tracks to enjoy the album without wincing.

Maybe ,I'll love it after a few more listens,.....but I doubt it.

It's just not up to par with their past.

I have to admit it makes me a bit sad.