Let It Come Down [CD on Demand]

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, Wont Get to Heaven, Lord Can You Hear Me?), and youll see that Pierce is leaning heavily toward the religious themes and gospel sounds he explored on 1997s LADIES AND GENTLEMAN WE ARE FLOATING IN SPACE. Much like George Harrisons 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 Pierces case, the results are mixed.

Despite being heavily promoted as a lush, orchestral recording, much of LET IT COME DOWN is surprisingly straightforward, with Pierces 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 hasnt 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 Pierces personal problems.

But when Pierce steps back and blends into the choirs and orchestras he assembled for this recording, one cant 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 Pierces 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 dont 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.

On Fire - A nice little start to the album. Upbeat, but a little simple. The very first line alludes to Spaceman's previous and/or ongoing drug/alcohol addiction ('Lets see how high we can fly/before the sun melts the wax in our wings')...a theme throughout the album

Do It All Over Again - Again, upbeat and catchy, simple and fun

Don't Just Do Something - I love this song. Perhaps the best on the album. Combines serious and hilarious lyrics, ie. 'I could lay in bed/like my mama said/"don't just do something,sit around instead"'. Nice, rambling verses, and a complete change in the middle. The kind of song you stop what you're doing to listen to

Out of Sight - Pretty song, nice rhymes, definitely worth checking out

Twelve Steps - A lot of people hate this song, and i'm not one of them. Certainly not the best on the album, but a nice, grungy change in a generally soft album. The only 'rockin' song on the album, and a pretty good effort

Straight and the Narrow - Aaah, another beautiful song. Great lyric for the chorus: 'the trouble with the straight and the narrow/is its so thin i keep sliding off to the side/and the devil makes good use for these hands of mine'. Definitely puts the 'spiritual' in Spiritualized, but in a way pretty much anyone can relate to.

I Didn't Mean To Hurt You - Great first verse...unfortunately its basically repeated throughout the whole song. Had potential, but its too repetitive

Stop Your Crying - The first single released, and a pretty darn good song. Nothing to get too excited about, but its nice and simple, and touching...'nothing hurts you like the pain of someone you love/there ain't nothing you can gain that prepares you enough'

Anything More - Really like this song. Kind of sleepy and relaxing

Won't Get To Heaven (The State I'm In) - Heavy religious theme (obviously), but in a nice way. The thing about spiritualized is that though many of their songs seem to have a Christian theme, its not a shove-it-down-your-throat kinda thing....Spaceman uses the themes in a way most can relate too, and it doesn't feel preachy at all. A beautiful song.

Lord Can You Hear Me - Absolutely beautiful. The perfect song to fall asleep to. Plaintive and affecting