Spiritualized - Pure Phase

Pure Phase is the second album put out by Jason Pierce's Spiritualized band, which was his second band after Spaceman 3. So in a way it's a double sophmore effort. He had a second go at a band setup, and then had his second song set from that new grouping. I do want to say up front that I am very much in love with all of Pierce's artistry and enjoy greatly the style of music he creates. That being said, for whatever personal taste reasons, this one just doesn't hit me as solidly in the soul as Laser Guided Melodies, his first Spiritualized album, does. To me, Laser Guided Melodies is pure bliss. This one, while great, just doesn't reach that same level of sublime joy.

Laser Guided Melodies came out in March 1992, and then we had to wait three long years before March 1995 when Pure Phase came out. I saw Spiritualized live on that tour in St. Louis and certainly they were amazing, but for me something had changed with the new music. It's a challenge of course. When Claptop wanted to move into blues, many die-hard fans complained because they still wanted to hear his old classics. They didn't want him to "move on". I understand that challenge. An artist needs to go where his muse takes him. Still, I can also feel a bit of sadness that the music I absolutely adored is now not quite so in perfect tune with my heart.

How to put it. The music, which before was a pure, sweet icicle dripping slowly into a glacial lake, now tends to be more jittery. A dash of salsa has been added to it. It will be slow and melodic - and then quick drums will come in. Additional layering of stronger instruments will kick up the beat. There are still songs I adore like Sprad your Wings. But I'm less fully immersed in "Lay Back in the Sun" with its "good dope good fun" mantra.

I do have both in my iTunes playlist and the music will flow smoothly from Laser Guided Melodies right into Pure Phase. And I can hear when it does that. My mood goes from floating in a salty sea of rich pleasure to skittering a bit along frothy waves. It's still nice enough, but not my absolute idyllic situation.

We are all different people, and we're all at different stages in life. So I'm sure some adore this music for the very reasons that I resist it a bit. And that's fine. For me, though, it will always be Laser Guided Melodies that holds the strongest key to my heart.

Buy Spiritualized - Pure Phase from Amazon.com

Modern Music Reviews
Lisa's Music and CD Reviews
Music and MP3 Tips and Information