My Own Biggest Fan

Heralded as a new “raw” Spiritualized, this album is said to be heavily influenced by the “new” garage sound of The White Stripes et al. Really it is so much more.

First of all lets get one thing clear first off. I am a big Spiritualized fan, and I will probably be one for quite some time given the consistency that Jason Pierce manages to please my ears. I am learning that he is indeed one of the most important songwriters working today, a fact that gets buried under his notable production eccentrics.

Amazing Grace storms in like nothing you have heard from Spiritualized before. Urgent and hot, “This Little Life of Mine” rages with honky-tonk piano and drawling lyrics of nihilistic self destiny. The title is a twist on the spiritual hymn, “This Little Light of Mine”.The delicate hand that changed only one word in the title, treats this song about spiritual fortitude and enthusiasm for worship to an unhealthy dose of junky defiance. It is an amazing feat worthy of Johnny Rotten before people got used to his sneer.

The first single “She Kissed Me (It Felt Like a Hit)” rocks just as hard, if not as messily, and has much the same feel as “Electricity” from “Ladies and Gentlemen We Are Floating in Space” Yes, it does seem he has found his rock n’ roll again after losing it for the most part on “Let it Come Down”. Much has been made of the fact that this song references another song, this time “He Hit Me (And it Felt Like a Kiss)” a Carol King/Gerry Gofin song recorded by The Crystals with Phil Spector. There is little interesting to note on this fact, Pierce’s song is entirely different from the original and the most they have in common with each other is their respective titles. This does bring up an interesting fact though. Pierce’s lyrics are always very self aware of the history they are steeped in. It takes guts to take the most poignant of song lyrics and twist them to suit your needs. He does this consistently with an ease and courage that only increases with each release. These successful acknowledgments to the history of his craft and his place in it are usually the domain of visual artists and not songwriters. They show an artist that wants to be a part of a tradition bigger than himself or current trends in pop music.

“Hold On” is the closest thing to a country song that Pierce has ever written, and “Oh Baby” treats us to more of the bombastic gospel that “Let it Come Down” was infused with. While that album was chock-full of redemption allusions, this one has clearly been sung by someone who knows that he is beyond forgiveness. Oddly melancholic for as uplifting as the music tries to make the songs, one would think that the singer has lost all faith that he can do anything more with his life and is left to encouraging others to get past all the temptations that he has fallen for. Sure enough, on the next song, once again with an explosion of feedback and cocksure singing Jason assures us that he “Ain’t Never Going Back” and punctuates the assertion with “The Power and the Glory”, an explosion of sound not heard since “Ladies and Gentlemen”

“Lord Let it Rain On Me” puts Pierce in league with Johnny Cash lyrically, another writer who specialized in the politics of sin and redemption. It sounds like it was written, and maybe recorded, during the “Let it Come Down” sessions and brings back the idea that he is not above asking for forgiveness in moments of weakness. Just like the mood swings one would expect from someone who might or might not be dependent on drugs, (a lyrical as well as personal parallel to Cash) one expects these moments of regret to shine through.

The final song is a complete surprise. In “Lay it Down” the punk who wanted to burn his life out at the beginning of the album, suddenly out of the blue cares about someone so much that he is willing to shoulder their problems and try his hardest to make miracles happen. I suspect that the songs preceeding this final affirmation give clues to this sudden turn of events. “The Ballad of Richie Lee”, “Cheapster” and “Rated X” echo sounds that we have heard earlier in the album but mix with them a more personal feel to the lyrics.

Fans of Spiritualized will be pleased with this album. Taking the influences that have permeated his last two albums and marrying them with a new found need to let go of the production ever so slightly, Pierce has created a hybrid that is greater than the sum. If you long for the space rock of “Laser Guided Melodies” and “Pure Phase” you are not going to be turned around by this one. But for those people who have either been turned off by the looseness of the song structure on “Ladies and Gentlemen” or maybe you have not heard a Spiritualized album before, I would tell you that this is where you come into the fold. Amazing grace, how sweet the sound. (someone had to say it)