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 Jason Pierce's Spiritualized return this year with Songs in A&E, a
album that contains all the best elements of his previous two releases
– the thickness of the accompaniment featured on Ladies and Gentlemen,
and the sparse rock 'n' roll of Amazing Grace.While Pierce continues to make music that is equally inspired by
skeletons lingering in the Velvet's closet, he manages to equally apply
the lush studio instrumentation famous by Brian Wilson.
Songs
like "Baby I'm Just a Fool" feature lyrics like "You know, it ain't
easy, I got the scars to say I'm healed" revealing Pierce's poignant,
ironic lyrical behavior. Other songs such as "Borrowed Your Gun" reveal an illusory mystique, an
Appalachian-style lyric about a son who borrows his father's gun only
to wipe out the whole family. Where Pierce gets you is when he begins
to sing the sad lament, "Hold out your hands, I'm coming home. Hold out
your arms, I'm all alone. My mind is made up; I'm down on my luck. I've
run out of bullets again." He repeats the refrain several times. When heard, the line is so sad
and piercing that you believe there may be redemption awaiting this
metaphorical family killer after all.
And
that's what makes Pierce's music so paradoxical: Somehow he always
manages to weave stories both of hedonism, heavy drug use and
overabundance with yearning, gospel-inspired searching.
Pierce seems to test the limits of his vocal range, too, especially on
songs such as "Yeah, Yeah," a Stones-influenced, hand-clapping, boogy
rhythm where he strings along lyrics with quick precision, forcing his
voice to shriek, "Yeah, get it on!"
Other songs such as "You Lie, You Cheat" sound like a shower of guitar
confetti. The song romps along, powered by the locomotion of pumping,
distorted drums and cymbals, which eventually bleed into the rest of
the mix as more instruments begin to march into the number. And then interspersed throughout the album are six "Harmonies," each
one labeled differently depending on the instrument or theme of choice.
For example, the first Harmony, "Mellotron," is a grandiose display of
the vintage instrument's abilities. A set of synthetic strings lilt and
sulk momentarily before the album's first proper song begins. The Harmonies serve as segues of sorts. Some listeners may find them to
be slightly divisive, interrupting the flow of the album. Others may
find them to be necessary links, connecting each song like tendons do
bones, creating an entire body of work that seamlessly transitions
fluidly from start to finish. It's interesting to note Pierce recorded a portion of the album after
he was discharged from the "Accident and Emergency" ward for double
pneumonia. Hence the title. The
album, while ripe with the stench of near death on songs like "Death
Take Your Fiddle," (a track that features a respirator as a sort of
rhythmic backbone) is anything but tired and uninspired.
Given the quality of this recording – perhaps one of the band's best
efforts in several years – Pierce's musical career most likely won't be
on a respirator any time soon.
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