"It's coming down in sheets," concludes R. Hunter Gibson in the sleevenotes to Spiritualized's first long player. And he's right: Lazer Guided Melodies has all the drenching, cleansing power of a torrential downpour.
"You Know It's True" is just the calm before the storm, coming off like a delicate snippet of Otis Redding performed by a schoolboy and looped by alien technicians. Then that stuttering, sequenced guitar effect kicks in, and the Spiritualized sound soaks you to the bone.
Listening to this album for the first time can be disorienting. For one thing, the 12 individual tracks are merged into four multi-track suites, presumably to keep you from skipping around and maybe missing a moment of Jason Pierce's inspiration. Pierce wants you to treasure everything, from his heaviest riff to the silence between songs.
For another, this seems to be music without a time. Nailing his heart firmly to the mast of soul and blues (JJ Cale on "Run," Stax/Volt all over) Lazer Guided Melodies also sees Pierce developing an appreciation of rock dynamics that, years later, still sounds futuristic. Wielding effects pedals like syringes, he adrenalizes the guitars, organs flutes, horns and strings that drive the songs.
Dozens of bands tried to copy the sound; none ever matched the anthemic charge the of "I Want You," or the blissful electric lullaby "Shine A Light." You can understand why - years later, Lazer Guided Melodies still has the power of a thunderstorm on a hot day. Soak it in.
If you like Spiritualized, check out:
Spiritualized Ladies and Gentlemen We Are Floating in Space
Spiritualized Live At The Albert Hall
Spiritualized Pure Phase
Primal Scream Screamadelica
Spacemen 3
