Let It Come Down

by Spiritualized

Overview

Jason Pierce has never shied away from changes in pursuit of his artistic goals. He traded Spacemen 3's white-hot intensity for the gentler ebb and flow of Spiritualized, and took things a step further by firing the rest of the band after their greatest success, Ladies and Gentlemen We Are Floating in Space. Let It Come Down is another step in Pierce's difficult, single-minded creative path. To craft the album's epic sound, Pierce sang the melodies into a Dictaphone, translated them to piano, and then transposed them into orchestral arrangements. This painstaking process results in an album that is equal parts intimate confessions and ambitious soundscapes, yet, despite the lineup changes and its lengthy inception, Let It Come Down doesn't sound radically different from Spiritualized's previous albums, proving for once and all that Pierce is Spiritualized and Spiritualized is Pierce. Instead, it feels like a natural progression from the densely orchestrated space rock of the first three Spiritualized albums, especially on the bleak, bluesy "Out of Sight" and the plaintive "Don't Just Do Something." Sweeping, stratospheric string and brass sections dominate the album, with over 100 musicians surrounding Pierce's frail, desolate vocals on some songs. Indeed, the lushness of the arrangements sometimes overpowers the album's relatively straightforward songwriting, particularly on tracks like "Anything More." While country and gospel influences bring the beautiful "Do It All Over Again" and "Won't Get to Heaven (The State I'm In)" back down to earth, Let It Come Down's elaborate sound doesn't always make its songs particularly accessible. When Pierce dares to keep things relatively simple, as on the insistent, yearning "I Didn't Mean to Hurt You" and the finale, "Lord Can You Hear Me," the emotional impact is stunning; the rockers "On Fire" and "The Twelve Steps" also cut the album's scope down to size in a direct, gripping way. Let It Come Down is another masterfully made Spiritualized album, but its very ambitions sometimes overwhelm it. ~ Heather Phares

Product Details

Release Date:	09/25/2001
Label:	Arista
UPC:	0078221472227

Tracks

1. On Fire
2. Do It All over Again
3. Don't Just Do Something
4. Out of Sight
5. The Twelve Steps
6. The Straight and the Narrow
7. I Didn't Mean to Hurt You
8. Stop Your Crying
9. Anything More
10. Won't Get to Heaven (The State I'm In)
11. Lord Can You Hear Me

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Spiritualized   Primary Artist
Michael Dore   Bass (Vocal)
Philip Dukes   Viola
Ray Dickaty   Sax (Soprano),Sax (Baritone)
Martin Owen   French Horn
Jeremy Morris   Violin
Nigel Black   French Horn
Dave Heath   Flute
Jason Pierce   Banjo,Piano,Guitar,Vocals,Harmonica
Helen Tunstall   Harp
London Community Gospel Choir   Vocals (Background)
Cathy Thompson   Violin
Graham Lee   Trombone
Mimi Parker   Vocals
Chris Clark   Piano
Anthony Pike   Clarinet
Thighpaulsandra   Piano,Guitar,Mini Moog,Fender Rhodes,Kurzweil K-2000,Organ (Hammond)
Heather Cairncross   Alto (Vocals)
Colin Sheen   Trombone
Nigel Short   Counter Tenor (Vocal)
Bruce White   Viola
Daniel Thomas   Choir Director
Kate Musker   Viola
David Daniels   Cello
Jackie Shave   Violin
Chris Cowie   Oboe
Andy Findon   Flute
Ian Humphries   Violin
Johnathan Rees   Violin
Mary Scully   Double Bass
Roger Brenner   Trombone
Cor Anglais   Double Bass
Peter Davies   Trombone
Andrew Crowley   Trumpet
Roger Chase   Viola
James Adams   Trombone
Tony Pleeth   Cello
Pery Montague   Violin
Miffy Hirsch   Violin
Gavin McNaughton   Bassoon
David Fuest   Clarinet (Bass)
Hugh Seenan   French Horn
Cathy Giles   Cello
Rachelle Weston   Alto (Vocals)
Kevin Bales   Drums
Dai Emanuel   Violin
Jonathan Tunnell   Cello
Roger Argente   Trombone (Bass)
Sonia Slaney   Violin
Richard Addison   Clarinet
Michael Hext   Trombone
Andrew Gray   Tenor (Vocal)
Paul Gardham   French Horn
Ann Morfee   Violin
Pete Whyman   Clarinet,Saxophone
Ben Edwards   Trumpet
Dave Temple   Clarinet,Saxophone
Steve Morris   Violin
Everton Nelson   Violin
Patrick Kiernan   Violin
Jane Marshall   Double Bass
Paul Archibald   Trumpet

Technical Credits

J. Spaceman   Producer,Arranger,Composer
Mads Bjerke   Mixing,Editing,Engineer
John Coxon   Producer
Jason Pierce   Mixing,Editing,Arranger,Composer,Producer
Chris Clark   Assistant Engineer
Lorraine Francis   Assistant Engineer
Guy Massey   Engineer
Danny Porter   Assistant Engineer
Ricky Graham   Assistant Engineer
Spacemen 3   Composer
Andy Saunders   Assistant Engineer
Bob Ludwig   Mastering