My Top 10 Albums of the 90s: (6) Ladies and Gentlemen We Are Floating in Space - Spiritualized

[This is the fifth in a series of ten posts. The list'll be revealed as entries are written.]

Jason Pierce first earned his cult following in the late 80s as the frontman of Spacemen 3, a band whose swirling, drone-based psychedelia was informed by an open, monumental intake of mind-altering substances. Pierce’s chemical dependencies would remain intact as his career advanced, but his palate would expand to include an array of other experiences that extend beyond temporal mundanity. 1997’s Ladies and Gentlemen We Are Floating in Space (released under the name of his post-Spacemen group Spiritualized, of which he was the only constant member) marks the fullest expression of this continuum of transcendental forces – with pain at one extreme, love at the other, and drugs to be found anywhere in between (or sharing both ends simultaneously). Armed with his ambitious plan to cover the human emotional experience in an album, Pierce spares no effort in creating a sound that is, remarkably, appropriate for the task. Indeed, between its strings, horns, and roaring guitars, Ladies and Gentlemen is one of the largest-sounding albums ever recorded. Predictably, Pierce also employs a choir, but like few others, he does so without sounding sanctimonious, or even clichéd. That he is able to provide a genuine context for its familiar, rapturous sound speaks to the strength of his convictions,  but also, more importantly, to his unique talent. Certainly, his belief in the curative powers of his music is no act: various editions of the album are actually packaged like medicine, and it’s intended to be consumed as such. Yet even possessed of similar experiences at the hands of drugs, love, and isolation, few other songwriters could so faithfully convey the overwhelming sensations that come out of them. Pierce makes it look effortless, complementing his pointed, direct lyrics with vocals that effortlessly shift to cover any mood, from the quiet hope of the title track to the intoxicated resignation of “Cop Shoot Cop.” Ultimately, Ladies and Gentlemen is an unqualified success as a lush, immaculately constructed album, but it’s the openness and vision of its tremendously skilled songwriter that lend it its staying power – precisely the grandeur and resonance the man had intended.