Sitting in front of me is the long awaited record from arguably the greatest, most influential and most underrated British songwriter of the last 30 years. For a man who's released masterpiece after masterpiece (interspersed with the occasional magnum opus) for the past 20 years, expectation is always high and each new release is a very big deal. This latest record, Sweet Heart, Sweet Light, has been a long time coming and goes beyond any expectations I had for it, which were always that it was going to be another magnum opus, another Ladies and Gentlemen, and it is; this is a calibre of rock album not seen since the late '60s classics that are still revered and worshipped today.
Jason Pierce's vision of producing a classic pop record in the vein of the later Beatles records, not so much in sound, but in terms of the clarity and quality of the production, has been realised to the fullest with Sweet Heart, Sweet Light. The record carries on in the vein of previous album Songs in A&E, which divided fans on the grounds of losing the drones, wah wahs and spacey effects expected from Spiritualized in favour of raw, soulful songs and emphasis on vocals and singing. This record sits sightly closer to the old Spiritualized than A&E but of course Jason moved away from the Spacemen 3/Pure Phase sound a long time ago - there are, however, moments of untamed fuzz, hurtling noise and manic guitar screeching on some of the more garage rock styled songs like the Dylanesque single 'Hey Jane', the eight minute centrepiece 'Headin' For The Top Now' and stomping blues based 'I Am What I Am', a track reminiscent of a heavier 'Think I'm In Love' from Ladies and Gentlemen. The overall sound of the record however, is styled on the classic Brill Building orchestral pop sound, mixed with soul,folk, blues,rock 'n' roll and piano lead rock ballad, all stamped with the trademark Spaceman sound; slick basslines, modulating two note organ drones, cool guitar sounds and of course deeply religious lyrical themes focusing on God, Jesus, heaven, and death.
The songs on this record are huge; for an album Pierce says was recorded mainly at home, it's a wonderfully full sounding record laden with beautiful, crystal clear string arragements (which were admittedly recorded in Iceland) which give the record an air of classical occasion; softer tracks like 'Too Late' - a wonderful mix of orchestral pop and regency sounding strings - and the folk arrangment of 'Life's a Problem' are given an extra element of beauty and sadness with the presence of strings accompanying and lifting up the fairly dark lyrical themes. Although keeping the orchestral element to his music, the strong gospel influence on past Spiritualized records is largely absent on Sweet Heart, the gospel choir being replaced by a classical 'Songs of Praise' style church choir, reminiscent of the one on 'You Can't Always Get What You Want' on tracks such as epic closer 'So Long You Pretty Things' and the beautiful, country blues tinged lullaby 'Freedom', also reminiscent of a classic, late '60s Stones style ballad.
The late '60s soft rock ballad vibe running through the album gives it a certain gravitas; the feeling of a man so accomplished in his own style that the only direction to go is down the path of the big heroes and to create a genre defying and stylistically free record in the same vein as they did. The singalong closer 'So Long You Pretty Things' best captures the emotional element to a classic rock track with its repeated vocal refrain, rising brass and choral backing vocals that echo the euphoric build up of 'Hey Jude' as much as the Stones track mentioned above. Not only is it the perfect closer to the record, it'd be the perfect 'last song ever', the closer to a career. The first line of the vocal refrain 'So long you pretty things/ God save your little souls' felt to me like a final heartfelt goodbye as it faded out slowly and though I really hope this isn't the case, it would be a perfect end if it came to be.
The recurring lyrical themes on the record are classic Spiritualized fare. Only a man who's really stared death in the face could write about God, heaven, salvation and death like this and really mean it, and although Pierce has written extensively about these themes since the beginning of Spacemen 3, it's only been recently, with his addiction and illness behind him and in his weathered, croaky voice, that the words seem to take on a whole new level of sincerity and truth. It's the religious and spiritual element to the songs that have always put Spiritualized on a higher level than artists singing about less serious subject matter and given the songs the power to effect people deeply and there's no change on Sweet Heart, the big topics are all covered and this time over the clean orchestral backdrop of the softer, slower numbers, really take on new meaning and effect.
Comparisons and analysations aside, Sweet Heart, Sweet Light is a remarkable return to form after a decade of patchy releases that polarised fans opinions and a record that holds up as testament to Pierce's genius. This is an album to put the often overlooked Spiritualized back into the forefront of the music world and let the master show the young pretenders how psychedelic rock and roll is done. Sweet Heart, Sweet Light will live on like Ladies & Gentlemen has; it's another modern masterpiece to add to your collection, one that'll be remembered for years to come and one that's grounded enough in the sound and style of the Spiritualized of old to restore faith in the Spaceman back into the doubters and non believers. For newcomers and those of us that've always had faith, it'll be another soul saving soundtrack to our loves, losses and our lives.
