Search - Spiritualized :: Let It Come Down

Back down to earth

cdominey@mediaone.net | Atlanta, GA USA | 10/01/2001

(3 out of 5 stars)

"If there is a consistent theme that runs through the epic and sprawling musical universe that is Spiritualized, and frontman Jason Pierce in particular, it?s the never ending pursuit of redemption and bliss. Through three major albums and a majestic (official) live recording, Pierce has consistently blurred the lines between religion (a drug for some ), drugs (a religion for others) and love (a combination of both?). The result is an overall feeling of musical transcedence that, in a way, has become its own religion to a steadfastly loyal legion of followers.But on their fourth major release LET IT COME DOWN ? a Spiritualized album in name only, since Pierce sacked almost the entire band before its recording ? the lines are less blurred. One look at the song titles (?The Straight and the Narrow,? ?Won?t Get to Heaven,? ?Lord Can You Hear Me??), and you?ll see that Pierce is leaning heavily toward the religious themes and gospel sounds he explored on 1997?s LADIES AND GENTLEMAN WE ARE FLOATING IN SPACE. Much like George Harrison?s 1970 album ALL THINGS MUST PASS, LET IT COME DOWN is the sound of a rock star, suddenly alone, calling out to a spiritual source for redemption. But in Pierce?s case, the results are mixed.Despite being heavily promoted as a lush, orchestral recording, much of LET IT COME DOWN is surprisingly straightforward, with Pierce?s thin voice much more in the forefront. Largely gone are the ambient synths, avant-garde jazz noodlings and white noise of past recordings. Where songs on previous albums flowed into one another in an organic, almost cinematic fashion, many of the new songs have self-contained pop structures, with little extra atmosphere. This alone may be disappointing to longtime fans (especially those who listen with the assistance of certain substances).It becomes clear through several songs on this album (especially the awful ?The Twelve Steps,? a clunky satire on recovery programs) that perhaps Pierce needs a full band of collaborators after all. Now out in the forefront, he has little to say that hasn?t already been covered ad nauseum on previous recordings. He still feels the bliss and pain of relationships, is still struggling with drug and drink, is still calling out to Jesus (and questioning His existence). Unlike, say, Mercury Rev, who continue to push sonic boundaries and themes with each recording, Spiritualized seem content to serve as an outlet for Pierce?s personal problems. But when Pierce steps back and blends into the choirs and orchestras he assembled for this recording, one can?t help but be swept away by Spiritualized again. The first single, ?Stop Your Crying? is classic Spiritualized, with Pierce addressing the pleasure/pain and love, then gently comforting an unnamed ?baby? atop a warm, gentle wave of orchestral strings and horns. And the final two tracks are nothing less than all-out church revivals, with Pierce?s suddenly explosive guitar (sorely missing from much of the album) propelling the choir to the heavens, much like the finale of ?Oh Happy Day? on LIVE AT THE ALBERT HALL. Perhaps it all means nothing in the long run, and is a tad overblown, but if you don?t get chillbumps, perhaps your pulse should be checked.So, not a great album ? but perhaps expectations were too high. Maybe their always mind-blowing live show will flesh out many of these tracks, and therefore rank this album higher on the Spiritualized scale."

Out of sight!

Erica Anderson | Minneapolis, MN | 08/21/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I'm new to Spiritualized's music. "Let It Come Down" is my first Spiritualized cd. I bought it because for some odd reason I have been really curious to check out this particular album out. I got lucky this past weekend and found a copy of "Let It Come Down" in the used bins at my favorite record store. On the first listen, my initial reaction to this album was rather a negative attitude for the first couple of tracks but after a couple of listens I grew to love the entire album altogether. On immediate listen, I fell head over heels with "Don't Just Do Something", "The Straight and the Narrow", and "Stop Your Crying". Those three songs are the standout tracks on this album for me. The catchiness and melodies of the songs are tremendous. It took me awhile for "On Fire" and "The Twelve Steps" to grow on me, and sometimes great songs are like that, you don't like them initially but the more you listen to them, the more you like them. "The Twelve Steps" in particular sounds like something the highly overrated White Stripes and The Strokes with its garage rock sound. I couldn't help but notice that the entire album had a gospel vibe. I really dug it. Overall, I found "Let It Come Down" to be as good as I expected. I haven't been able to stop listening to it."