Live at the Albert Hall
As a founding member of the early-'90s psychedelic bandSpacemen 3, Jason Pierce and bandmate Sonic Boom, a.k.a. Peter Kember, proudly proclaimed they were "taking drugs to make music to take drugs by." These days Sonic pretty much adheres to his original credo, but Pierce has blasted off on an entirely different trip. OK, Spiritualized's droning chords, sedated melodies, and atmospheric passages don't exactly discourage stoners from toking up, but their music is far too emotionally involving to be called drug rock. Not that it's complex, exactly. Many of the group's songs revolve around endlessly repeated two- and three-chord progressions. But what the group is able to express in these simple structures is breathtaking. Some songs splash and spiral like slow-motion Spin Art, some ascend like rising mist, and still others reach the heavens via gliding strings and gospel choirs. Spiritualized is hands-down one of the most captivating, mesmerizing live bands since earlyPink Floyd, and the double CDLive at Royal Albert Hallcaptures every violin quiver and guitar dribble with absolute clarity. On old Spacemen 3 tracks like "Walk with Jesus" and on Pierce's own "Electric Mainline" and "No God Only Religion," Spiritualized are truly celestial.--Jon Wiederhorn