ason Pierce’s latest outing is a step in the right direction, not just for Spiritualized, but for all rock music. ‘Let It Come Down’ is a gigantic undertaking, with over a hundred people in the studio at times. This album is packed with goodness, from the opening jangly-piano, to the screeching keyboard bit near the end of ‘Do It All Over Again’, to the not-too-long jam-outs that complement every other song. On this album, more than the others, he brings in entire orchestras and choruses to fill out his druggy/religious visions, with great effect. These songs come off sounding very spacious, unlike previous outings, where he chose to fill the songs to the point of muddling them down.

These songs are, for the most part, anything but muddled. Jason’s cleansing snarl is at the forefront of many of these tunes, announcing his religious notions to the world, despite what the unenlightened may think. Jason has seen the light, and he doesn’t care if anyone else thinks he’s a loon.

The third song on this cd, ‘Don’t Just Do Something’, has to be my favorite song of the year. It starts with an electronic buzz, left over from the last song. A chorus of strings come in, lazing about. Jason starts crooning, ‘Sometime they say that love is blind, but I think that dumb is what they had in mind...’ It’s a simple statement, but the effect is immense, as the electronic noises swoop around, and he continues to spew knowledge left over from a life of disappointment. The electronic manipulation of his voice is a subtle effect, but when he comes to the line, ‘I’m not bad at life, I’m not good as well’ the difference in the effects from the left and right channel come together, and he is singing in perfect clarity. This album is full of moments like this, moments that make this a great accomplishment for Spiritualized.