And we're back with Record of the Week. This time, the Randomizer gives us Spiritualized's 2001 epic, Let it Come Down. This 2021 reissue is what's on my turntable. I've seen a lot of discourse regarding this copy (as well as the other Spiritualized reissues), but we're not going to get into that, we're strictly about the music here.
This album comes after 1997's Ladies and Gentlemen We are Floating in Space, which is where I first discovered Spiritualized. The first time I saw them was when they toured for Let it Come Down. Simply mesmerizing. And same vibes each time I saw them after that. I even saw them last year, when they played Pure Phase in full at Primavera (for that album's 30th anniversary).
But back to LICD. This tour. Yes, my then-roommate had an extra ticket to see them and I tagged along. So glad I did. I think Ladies and Gentlemen might be their best album, but LICD might be my favourite. The music! The lyrics! The orchestra! The choir!
I Didn't Mean to Hurt You comes off so gorgeously, and the lyrics are so filled with heartache. When J Spaceman sings "I miss you like I miss the water when I'm burning," I feel that down to my bones.
Musically, LICD is so grand, sweeping, and epic. It's almost a lifetime in one album and, lyrically, it gets straight up vulnerable like a therapy session. Side 4 even ends with with a realization (Won't Get to Heaven) and a prayer of sorts (Lord, Can You Hear Me). Are those part of the 12 Steps? Seriously, though, sit in a dark room and turn this up. It might help you get through some shit.