Spiritualized / And Nothing Hurt


I commented 6 years ago, in the review of 'Sweet Heart Sweet Light', that gives the sensation that each album of Spiritualized, the musical extension of Jason Pierce, is linked to a moment of catharsis in vital of his alma mater. If then it was the overcoming of a double pneumonia that put him on the verge of death, in the case of demorated 'And Nothing Hurt' the problem has been something more prosaic: money. Pierce didn't have the budget to make the record he wanted, a recording with the sound of historical studios like Columbia or Capitol but that appeared to be broadcast from a satellite orbiting from space. Such an enormous ambition was solved in the smallest and, at the same time, difficult way for him because of everything he didn't know about digital recordings: he bought a laptop and tried to reproduce in his bedroom practically every sound except those of instruments that didn't fit there, like timbales or a double bass. An adventurer trying to advance in an uncharted territory, as on his cover.

This artisanal process of literally years (says who managed up to 200 tracks) took him to a state he openly defines as close to insanity, going so far as to say that this would be Spiritualized's last album. Today, with the work in his hands and our hands, fortunately he doesn't seem to be so sure of that, although it is clear to him that it was "stupid" on his part to embark on this task. The question, obviously, is whether all that work has been worthwhile. And the resounding answer is a huge yes. I can't say, obviously, if 'And Nothing Hurt' sounds as Pierce had in his head (it has to be said that, with the base of the album he recorded, finally were added the instruments of his live band, strings, winds and choir, this time yes in conventional studios). It's true that in these nine songs (with 48 minutes, it's his shortest album after 'Amazing Grace') you can perceive a singular component in the sound, a synthetic or unreal touch, in the style of Brian Wilson's latest "Disney sound" works. A halo of reverie that, in its own way, contributes to the optimistic glow that flies over almost every song.

What can be said of 'And Nothing Hurt' is that, after that regrettable process of gestation, Pierce continues to stay on his path of blues, soul, gospel and evolved rock and roll and that, moreover, sounds as spectacularly good as any of Spiritualized's latest albums. Its most recognisable facet, those classic sound explosions caused by the accumulation of layers and instruments, once again takes centre stage here in monumental numbers such as 'On The Sunshine' or the barbaric 'The Morning After', a more than possible tribute to Lou Reed and a story in which an adolescent Jane (haven't you forgotten 'Hey Jane', right?) weighs up how to escape the life of comfort (and control) to which his parents subject him: "Janey had a revelation on the way to school / she would hang herself over the pool / That will hit them hard because she always knew / that every mother wants to die before her children do".

 That tenderness, in any case, is seasoned here with touches of self-pity (the one she gives off in the fantastic single 'I'm Your Man') and sarcasm, such as 'A Perfect Miracle', in which Pierce, ukelele in hand, counterposes cheesy words about a love story ("I would take the stars and line them up to say "Honey, I love you") and then comically dispatch a woman who gives him her love while he is very busy working. A humorous tone that is also in the calm and playful 'Here It Comes (The Road) Let's Go', in which Pierce, after giving human GPS instructions to his girl to find him, ends inviting her to "brush her hair, stick a stripe in and spend the night high". Genius and figure. And if we were left with too much good taste in our mouths, the dreamy ballad 'Sail On Through' bids us farewell with a nice, bitter blow of honesty, with brutal phrases like "I won't tell lies, I'll tell the truth: you know I don't need to be with you / And if I could bear it, I'd sail to you / And if I wasn't so drunk, I'd sail to you". In spite of that and as Pierce intended, 'And Nothing Hurt' is, in addition to a balanced work and delicious to listen to, his most positive album to date, subverting the aura of malditism of yesteryear and, like its title, solving the equation of his personal vicissitudes in a concise and optimistic way: "y nada dolió".

Spiritualized have announced two concerts of presentation of 'And Nothing Hurt' in Spain. It will be on November 2nd at Sala Razzmatazz in Barcelona and on November 3rd at La Riviera, Madrid.

Qualification: 8,8/10
The best: 'I'm Your Man', 'Let's Dance', 'The Morning After', 'The Prize', 'On The Sunshine'
You'll like it if you like: the last Brian Wilson, the decadent Elvis Presley and Slowdive.
Listen: Spotify
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