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| Looks like Oasis and a middle aged dude met some girl. |
Intro
I'm an enormous proprietor of alternative rock, especially throughout the 1990s. We had Oasis, and their Beatles-esque take on pop music. Radiohead dominated the scene in the latter half, releasing one of the 20th century's greatest works in OK Computer. Now, when I heard of this little group called Spiritualized, I decided to do some pre-listening research. When I found out that their "masterpiece" was released the same year as OK Computer, that NME gave them the best album of 1997 instead of Radiohead, and that they combined space rock, gospel, and alternative rock... I was floored. This band must sound enormous! So naturally, I took the plunge with Spiritualized's magnum opus, Ladies and Gentlemen We Are Floating In Space.
Quite a different experience, this one.
The Album
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| Ladies and Gentlemen We Are Floating In Space (1997) |
We score a simplistic album cover, reminiscent of Earth 2. Not bad, but it doesn't prepare the listener for what lies ahead, really... The album starts out with the title track, with its name being spoken at the very beginning by a lady's voice sealed in an intercom. Then, a voice fades in. The lyrics are a little too sappy for my liking from the get-go. You've got unconventional structures in here, with layered voices, space communications ("I've been told *crackle*", ad nauseam), and soaring arrangements. It sounds great in retrospective, but for some reason... it just doesn't click with me. It's too hopeful, too repetitive. Not really great at all, for that matter. Unfortunately, it didn't set the tone for the album well with me at all. "Come Together" throws away convention as well. God, what am I saying... this entire album takes conventional song structure and trashes it in the worst way possible. This is coming from someone who enjoys unconventional structures! I mean, I discovered music through progressive rock, the cornerstone of unconventional! The track makes some extensive use of the gospel choir that is featured throughout the album. The F Bomb makes a notorious appearance as well, overstaying its welcome a little too long. God knows what else is going on, but the song chugs along with fuzzed out guitar, sleigh bells, and drum beats. Almost-chanted singing tinged with English accents over all this? Nah. Not really the best thing. "I Think I'm In Love" starts out with a nice bass intro, and some synth lines. Now we might be getting somewhere! Is that a harmonica? Very nice touch! The Pink Floyd influences are very strong here, with Gilmour-sounding slide guitar exploring the background, and harmonious voices. Maybe the first two tracks didn't ruin the whole album after all? The song length is promising too, at around 9 minutes! Around 4 minutes, horns accentuate everything and speed the song up a bit. The lyrics are cheesy here, but it works with the tune. "All of My Thoughts" brings us to a quiet intro including piano, strings, and bass. The crescendo commences, and brings in spacey keyboards alongside subdued vocals. The drumming is intense on this track. Quiet reminds me of "Tomorrow Never Knows" from Revolver. Psychedelia is in full swing here. The drumming stops, and the horns stay along for the ride. A little further in, the drums come back with a fuzzed-out guitar solo. The soft-loud-soft-loud-soft structure of this song is very prominent, and definitely owes itself to the grunge scene a mere 7 years before. "Stay With Me" is a very nice slowdown from the previous few tracks. Soft vocals lead throughout. I like to think of this song playing at a post-apocalyptic prom, with young couples slow dancing in the ruins of what used to be their lives. Stunning really... "Electricity" is a straight-ahead rocker. You've got the 60's style keyboards. Fuzz guitar. Crazy harmonica. Frantic drumming. A very nice formula, and an easy song to listen to. Probably one of my favorites off the album. "Home of the Brave" starts out with an almost stream of consciousness. Lovey-dovey lyrics are rampant, as is expected of this album.Thankfully this track is short, as it kind of kills the album's momentum.The orchestral swell leads into "The Individual", fading out the previous track's outro and into its own sax drone. We're talking avant-jazz here, placed over almost Earth-y dronescapes. This continues on for a solid 4 minutes. No place appropriate on the album, whatsoever. Thankfully, the fadeout commences quickly. "Broken Heart" is a departure from the previous track. The opening synths harken back to Aphex Twin's Selected Ambient Works Volume II, and create a very calming atmosphere. Horns and violins nearly turn this track into post-rock. Breathy lyrics work their way into the mix. This feels like it's straight out of the Apollo 13 soundtrack. An embodiment of the new space rock, taking it so much more seriously. One of the most beautiful pieces of music I have ever heard. We're snapped back into reality with the sporadic beeping and church bells that open "No God Only Religion". A fanfare of sorts opens us, and leads into a drumroll. The song feels like some kind of upbeat military tune, or the theme for an evil king. The instrumental nature of this track doesn't really appeal too much to me, along with another free-jazz freakout. Not bad though. "Cool Waves" slows us down again, with a bluesy harmonica layered under airy vocals and violins. A stunning use of the gospel choir leads this track. I mean, as I listen to it... it sends shivers up my spine! It's almost a combination of Americana, chamber music, and gospel music that creates another one of my favorite tracks from the album. The lyrics actually work very well, as cheesy as they may be. The album comes to a close with a 17 minute epic, entitled "Cop Shoot Cop...". A smooth piano intro brings us into the start of our journey. It reminds me strongly of the Finding Nemo soundtrack, curiously enough. Very mellow, enjoyable atmosphere starts us out. Some synths are thrown into the mix, and the vocals come in with a very stoned tone. The lyrics are kinda strange, and for the life of me I cannot interpret them. Shredding guitar blares over the piano lines, bringing in a badass tone. However, at around 6 minutes... we get another avant-garde freakout. For a a solid 7 minutes. REALLY? Maybe if it was like two minutes, the song would be cut down to at least 12 minutes. It completely kills the track for me. At around 12 1/2 minutes, the main theme reappears. A solid 40 seconds of silence closes the album. I don't know what to think, if it was left at the first 6 minutes... it'd be perfect. But with the freakout and fadeout and silence, it comes off as more meh than anything.
The Verdict
Well... I'm not sure what to say. It's kind of bad. But when it's good, it's VERY good. I was honestly turned off by the first two tracks. The two instrumentals could be left off, and Cop Shoot Cop could be cut down. That would leave us with a pleasant 8-track album, which would be sublime! But hey... I liked more than half the album. That's a plus. I honestly don't think it deserved best album of 1997 up against OK Computer, but it will still be valid 20 years from now in the late 1990s rock canon. For fans of Pink Floyd, John Coltrane, Oasis, Eric Dolphy, and the Verve.
Rating: 3.5/5
-Dave
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