The ninth studio album led by famed space rock legend J Spaceman continues what is to be expected (the epic walls of instrumentation, timeless pop songwriting and catchy melodies) and doing so in a refreshing and exciting way. The rich details on Everything Was Beautiful are to be unearthed by anyone, new fan or old.
Coming from England are Spiritualized, a band helmed by Jason Pierce, aka J Spaceman. The group sports the "space rock" genre featuring layered psychedelic rock, gospel, and pop into an atmospheric weightless state. Having been around as a band since 1990 and with Pierce being in the music biz since the 80's as part of the band Spaceman 3, Spiritualized is and has always been a well-seasoned band continuing to hone in on Pierce's meticulous and perfectionist craft as a singer, songwriter and performer. With numerous albums within their tight discography, there has been an expected consistency in terms of great quality across the board from the certified classic 1997 opus Ladies and Gentlemen, We are Floating in Space to the band's last album And Nothing Hurt in 2018. Now four years removed from what could've been the band's final album comes the band's next album, Everything Was Beautiful, which completes the full line from the 1969 novel Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut: "everything was beautiful and nothing hurt."
Pierce's songwriting tends to be that of the timeless, 60's/70's era of pop music, while his singing is that of a heart-aching Jon Lennon to my ears. The band's overall sound tends to feature some loud and abrasive layered instrumentation full of guitars, percussion, bass, keys, choir singers, and much more, often to a point where it's hard to decipher exactly what's going on. This isn't inherently a bad thing either; Spiritualized have been crafting this type of seamless, multilayered structure of sound for years now. It almost gives off a massive, ambient noise that is both euphoric and grand. Lyrically on Everything Was Beautiful, there are songs about love, religion and drugs, which are the three main themes of a Spiritualized album in a nutshell. The album itself features a total of seven songs but most songs are lengthy, ranging around the six to seven minute mark, so patience for these song progressions isn't for the faint of heart.
The album kicks off with a bang with "Always Together With You," a classic pop tune so sweet, innocent and charming that it could've been easily on the radio during the 60's or 70's and no one would bat an eye. The swaying strings and orchestration, the gently sung vocals, and lovesick songwriting from Pierce (if you want a rocket ship, I will be that rocket ship for you") is undeniably blissful to listen to. "Best Thing You Never Had" is the peppiest and hardest rocking song on the entire album with the some of the most memorable grooves ever to be laid to tape in 2022. The squelching horns and mad guitar ripping make for an album standout. "Let It Bleed" is a standout ballad that has intense rewarding progression towards its backend. "Crazy" is the much needed cooldown in the middle of the record. As a country styled acoustic ballad, many a Spiritualized fan may be skeptical but it plays out wonderfully along with Nikki Lane's guest backing vocals. "The Mainline Song" is an album and 2022 favorite for me. The melodic instrumentation including the sound of a train chugging along the tracks is incredibly moving and powerful. Pierce's simple imagery of wanting to go out with your significant other and experience the beauty of the world is so captivating ("Oh babe it's a beautiful night and I wanted to know if you wanted to go to the city tonight"). "The A Song" features a massive sounding horn section layered on top of the usual beautiful chaos Pierce is selling to us and it's undeniably great. The closing track, "I'm Coming Home Again," is a ten-minute long jam full of intense progressions to cinematically epic proportions.
J Spaceman simply nails it again on Everything Was Beautiful. What's come to be expected (epic walls of instrumentation, timeless pop songwriting, and catchy melodies) is still refreshing and is flourished throughout these seven tracks during its entire forty-four minute runtime. Pierce approaches this record in a meticulously crafted fashion and it pays off tremendously. The rich details on here are to be unearthed by anyone, new fan or old. It is to be enjoyed by anyone who loves psych rock, classic pop and rock music, or one who just wants to listen to some damn great music. Everything Was Beautiful is currently my favorite album of 2022 and for good reason. There is an incredible craftsmanship and musicianship to be appreciated, loved and adored on this album. J Spaceman succeeds once again by keeping his signature sound held up in a refreshing and exciting way. The ninth studio album was my first Spiritualized album experience and it certainly won't be my last.
My Rating: 9 / 10
Favorite Songs: "The Mainline Song," "Always Together With You," "Best Thing You Never Had," "Crazy"
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