Lazer Guided Melodies

I felt like a humanised piece of sperm floating in eternity.

If ever there was a contest to pick the most self-indulgent, "overrated" act in music history, Spiritualized would have a great opportunity to win the cup. And the first three quarters of this debut album prove it time and again. Self-indulgence is not even a passing flaw here, it's the whole "raison d'être" behind the band's existence. Which makes such claims that they produced so-called "essential" albums quite dubious, if you wanna know about my personal opinion. Let's go into specifics: in *Lazer Guided Melodies*, Spiritualized played neo-psychedelia without the bite or sense of fun of a Brian Johnston Massacre. They wrote middle-of-the-road rock songwriting without the live energy of The Stone Roses. They aped "motorik" kraut without the relentless drive of a Neu!. And they designed electronic-oriented rock without the groove of a Primal Scream... In other words, they didn't do much, in spite of all the energy they spent. Do you think I'm harsh here? OK, answer this question first: what has Jason Pierce to offer, really--apart from using his bland, timid voice to mumble shapeless syllables and tasteless, unoriginal melodies *over the same three frigging chords from one track to the next*??? Is the title of that debut LP supposed to be ironic? If that's the case, the joke is unfunny. Those melodies are not "lazer-guided", they are on automatic pilot mode. And consequently, almost none of them are memorable. Sure, most of the time, the music itself sounds extremely "spacey".. But there's no clear intent in it, no clear throughline that could send you to the stars and beyond. The fuel on Pierce's rocket goes "pop" and then stays stuck on the ground. And as he and his band trip out in the sterile, artificial soundscapes they're so keen on creating around themselves, all you can do is watch them from the ground with a dumfounded look on your face. I can't see "outer space" in the backdrop of their drug-addled routine, only a damn Hollywood green screen. By the way, and speaking of "drugs", I don't need to take heroin or LSD to turn this album into a "good" one. The album should make me *feel* like I'm on heroin or LSD *without me having to take the damn drugs*. There lies the *huge* difference... I can sense devil's advocates already preparing their arguments here. Something in the likes of: "You're tone-deaf: listen to all the gorgeous arrangements Pierce wrote and performed!" Well, I'm not denying the man has a keen ear for sonic details, in spite of his laziness and lack of imagination when it comes to pure songwriting. The thing is, Pierces piles up those arrangements on top of one another without ever considering which ones should be emphasized so that his music succeeds in leaving a lasting impression for most audiences. You might retort that it's my fault, that I should pay more attention to the layers and layers of sounds he and his bandmates recorded. But, to me, it's *their* fault. It's their godamn job to select the best elements in a piece of music so as to make them stand out. If everything is buried in the mix--every little guitar inflexion, every synth drone, every tabla and echo and effect and whatnot--should I be blamed for not letting myself go? If no real epiphany, no real climax gives meaning your repeated melodic lines overstuffed by so many details around them, should I blame my own expectations? Or conversely, is the "product" at fault here? You tell me. In the meantime, here's a quick reminder: less is more, very often. And very often, this record forgets that. It's the drugs Pierce is selling that are the problem, not the drug-addict that I am (read: "music-addict"). Everything I've said so far is about the "three first quarters" of the album, remember? Well, here's what I'm thinking about the last quarter: in the middle of "Shine A Light", something clicked at last, and it was a welcome surprise. The climax of this track is excellent, and it's as if the LP came alive at the eleventh hour. Right after this climax, "Angel Sigh" was also a pretty convincing cut. The walls of noisy guitars on those two songs woke me up, I imagine... But they're not the main reasons those two tracks work out and the other ones don't for me... Sure, those two songs display the sort of noisy-yet-melodic shoegazy stuff that a later post-rock act such as Mogwai--criminally left aside in Dimery's list--will later accomplish (and this even if Mogwai performed such "walls of noise" ten times better than Spiritualized). Yet, as welcome as those electric guitar shenanigans are, those two tracks are actually good mostly because Pierce finally decided which arrangements in them should be their *true* backbone (remember what I said earlier abou "arrangements"?). In "Shine A Light", it's the horn section, and in "Angel Sigh" it's the cellos. Both are hypnotic, intense, and great. And they serve the songs right, thus saving this record from a 0/5 grade, as far as I'm concerned. Unfortunately, a couple of good tracks towards the end can't *fully* redeem this album for me. The last cut, *200 Bars* even emphasizes what is generally wrong with Spiritualized's music in my book. Yep, this piece is too goddamn long (100 bars too long, by my count), and it seems that its writer/composer knows it. Which why the whole thing is even mentioned in the lyrics... I can appreciate the self-deprecatory, tongue-in-cheek irony here, don't get me wrong. But when the line between earnestness and self-parody is so thin, as it is the case here, it's no surprise that a lot of folks in an audience start raising their eyebrows. Maybe it means that you're not exactly mastering what it is you want your music to say. Maybe it means you're favoring "style" over "substance", and start to lose the thread that could tell you which is which. And maybe--just maybe--it means that you're an excellent musician and creator, but that when it comes to this list, you should leave room for even more stellar creators. 1001 is a finite number after all. Number of albums left to review: 588 Number of albums from the list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 198 Albums from the list I *might* include in mine later on: 92 Albums from the list I will certainly *not* include in mine (many others are more essential to me): 123 (including this one)

Spacey and gorgeous. Spiritualized albums exist in their own galaxy, orbiting a lonely planet inhabited by disembodied creatures longing to make physical what exists in the aural realm of these tracks. I may not always be in the mood for the ethereal vibrations the music provides, but when I am... damn.

mostly not music

What a treat of a lovely record. I have always loved Spacemen 3 but for whatever reason I hadn't given Spiritualized a good enough shake. Absolutely blissful repetition, building, and then instead of a climax it is a \"whooosh\" inside my brain. I can't wait to listen to all their other albums too, but I'm gonna give Lazer Guided Melodies plenty of time to grow on me, this thing has gorgeous depth.

Love this sonic masterpiece.

I really enjoyed “Ladies and Gentlemen We Are Floating In Space” from Spiritualized. So this time I get to go back to the beginning. 90o0 This album felt more stripped down I guess but still unmistakably Spiritualized. Really enjoyed listening to this - it put me in a real calm, meditative state without feeling boring or repetitive. I think it may have brought my blood pressure down a few notches. Some highlights for me included “If I Were With Her Now” (tells such a dramatic, tight little minimalist story), “I Want You” (bordered on a pop song), “Smiles” (sweet little song), “Take Your Time” (a very slow, taking-their-time build), “Shine A Light” (fits the artist name well!), “Angel Sigh” (a lovely, understated, minimalistic love song), “Sway” (felt almost religious in the choruses - I’d float in space to this one too), then it closes with the amazing “200 Bars” where they actually count out the first 100 bars - as a former junior high French Hornist I felt a special connection to counting out a long series of bars). Fantastic. Lovely. Soothing. Wonderful.

Loved this album and will absolutely be listening to it again. I love the use of an organ for the ethereal feeling.

Wow. I have never heard of this band or this album before but I'm 2 minutes in and I think I'm hooked! I thought it was going to be a dance album by the cover... Well, this has just been an amazing experience. I have fallen in love with this album and discovered a genre I didn't even know existed known as "Space Rock". This album has been added to my high rotation.

I want to give this five stars. My right hand is desperate to click on the mouse to give it five stars. I run through the highpoints of the album continually, yearning to give it five stars. I recall how mesmerized I was by the third quarter, how warm and blissful and singular and vast and searching the record is, and I want with all clarity and desire to give it five stars. And I can't. The issue emerged in the fourth track, Run, where they make a rather blunt allusion to the Velvet Underground's Run Run Run. This distracted more than anything, and threw me from the music. Was I listening to genuine sentiment, or rather a demonstration that the band owned a cool record collection? Is that even a problem? I don't know. I can still hear the beating of a heart within this album, but it's muffled by a leather jacket the album insisted its mum got it in order to impress the girl albums.

A master class in mediocrity. Lacks substance. Or, as Pitchfork.com puts it: "...feels almost weightless, an astral take on the blues that seems to drift by on cosmic winds. It’s one of the most gentle rock records of its time, with spaced-out guitars and rolling bass lines tenderly nudging Jason Pierce’s vocal melodies along like a weathered stone rolling slowly down a hill."

I think I'm spiritualized enough, thanks. Impressive that I disliked this album almost to the same extent I liked the previous "Ladies And Gentlemen We Are Floating In Space" I got here some months ago.

Sounds like a lot of psychedelics were used in the making of this record ,feels like taking some listening to it. Lovely warm ,floaty, atmospheric goodness . Induces feeling of wanting to be off my chops . Il be back for more

They've conned themselves 5 stars. It's a 4* album, with a beautiful floaty feeling, but rules are rules, and inclusion of a jew's harp is mandatory +1*

9/10 haha pretty psychedelic sounds

This album showcases all of what I love about Spiritualized and Spacemen 3 - the droney, hazy, extended musings, usually built around one major chord. Very pleasant both as background and also as a focused listen on headphones. I think I prefer this album to "Ladies and Gentlemen..." which sounds a little more dated at times.

Oh my god, it just took me away to somewhere else...where I was murdering over and over.

Hazy, dreamy record with beautiful melodies. So ahead of its time!

Nothing short of amazing, quite possibly my introduction to a genre that I'm yet to get into (Dream Pop), but I'm eager to.

Wow - this was a pleasant surprise. I only knew one of the songs before hand (run run run). Really interesting soundscapes, one of the few albums I've played more than once.

Loved this - reminded me a lot of Slowdive (one of my new favourite bands, new to me not a new band). Chilled and kind of psychedelic. Will listen again

че-то похожая ситуация с предыдущим альбомом. сперва бомбанул даже немножко, ибо вообще-то к жанру спейс-рока отношусь более чем положительно, и надеялся на годноту со стенами звука и няшной лиричкой. и как-то разочарован был, когда какая-то околоуныль началась. ну типа блять, альбомы Hum, Failure, да даже ранних Muse в подборке не представлены, а это говно есть. вообще все сильнее с выбора авторов начинаю гореть. но потом попустился немного, сложил 2 и 2, и все-таки прикинул, что это скорее я спейс-роком считал пост-хардкор и прочий тяжеляк со спейс элементами. а чистый комик-роцк, вероятно, такой и есть - немного ленивый, торжественный и атмосферный. но все же сказать, что полностью зашло не могу. отчасти из-за иногда проглядывающей скуки, отчасти из-за кринжовейших текстов. прогнал все ж не без удовольствия, думаю под настроение будет вообще на кончиках пальцев, но пока сильным фанатом себя не чувствую (хотя, как оказалось, у меня даже в аудио какая-то их песня с другого альбому была). склоняюсь к той же семёрке, может опосля вся эта тема во мне вырастет. 7/10

Booorrrriinng 😴

Mostly harmless, but very forgettable. I didn't dislike it but it very quickly turned into background music. it could have easily been shorter.

Dont listen if not well rested

Zoals verwacht heel veel fuzz. Maar een aangename verrassing. Ei zo na postrock, en dat kan ik zeker smaken

Nostalgia bomb

Brilliant album.

always considered the cooler spiritualized album - plenty lovely complex nothings to wash around

Cool, atmospheric.

Odličan. Ovog sam najmanje sluša ali je super

Amazing. Life changing 5 out of 5 10 out of 10 . One of my favorite albums now

I ascended to this album.

This album is a slow burning masterpiece. Every song builds and swells into something beautiful. There are elements of Britpop, ambient music, and electronic elements. The music itself is incredibly textured and has some of the best emotional releases.

The industry monster was pushing Let It Come Down heavily in 2001 and it seemed like for a couple months or so that was the only music that existed. I remember the album packaging included a 3d embossment of a pigtailed girl with her eyes closed. Until now, I had no idea this album preceded it by about 10 years and now I understand. This album is amazing, nearly impeccable. Shine a Light IS impeccable. The balance of the album is just amazing. It's drone-y and easy to get lost in the reverb and feedback. What a great find.

Brilliant

I liked this a lot! The album name suits the sound. Overall it just calms your mind very well, I didn't really listen to the lyrics but they seemed to match the music!

Loved it. A rare 5 for me.

i don't think this is an album that is going to be for everyone, and i don't know how "essential" it is to listen to, but i really enjoyed it, especially for background music while i worked.

Surprised by how much I liked this!

I loved this album

spacey

So good and relaxing. Memories

Not sure what specifically about this albim, but I loved this! Something about the ethereal waves of sound, weird lyrics, experimenting with time signatures to make you feel like something isn’t quite normal.. unashamed 5 stars from me, this is the entire purpose of the 1001 project for me - explore different artists and genres, you never know what new favorite you’ll find!

One of the greatest records ever made

This was the soundtrack to my summer in about 2001. 22 years later (!) and it takes me straight back to being high in some field somewhere. I know Spiritualized found success in love songs, but it's the longer sonic voyages that really stand out here. Just absolutely unlike anything that was around at the time (shoegaze? stoner rock? ambient?) and unlike anything since. Sway slow. Stay low.

Unsure what to expect but loved it right off the bat. Adding this to my list of go-to albums.

unexpected, but really good sounds to me!

The evolution from Spacemen3 through this and then onwards was a thing of beauty and a very happy thing for me

I liked it, it was mellow!

This album had me tearing up. So incredibly beautiful. This album is definitely going on my backpacking playlist.

Yeah this one’s a gem

Fühlt sich an als würde man wirklich im Weltall schweben. Sehr stark. Light 9/10

Full of 70s era psychedelia without any of the elements of dissonance common for that time. It drives on and on but never ceases to be beautiful and uplifting. One criticism would be that there are quite a few parts that sound verrryy Stone Roses. Not necessarily a bad thing but I did have to check who came first (SR by a few years). They're a bloody consistent bunch too, have been steadily releasing for a solid 30 years now.

Aw, too soon! Only just had ladies and gentlemen, hoped they'd space them out a bit. Ha. Pun not intended. Anyway, love this most low key Spiritualized album. Sometimes even more than aforementioned masterpiece. Certainly Shine A Light is one of the best songs they ever did. Everything builds so gently and beautifully, gliding into a blissed out haze. Elsewhere, both If I Were With Her Now and Take Your Time's one-paced, effortlessly rolling groove take some beating. Angel Sigh blows your socks off, Sway is simply gorgeous. This album starts and finishes so strongly. I'm not as fond of I Want You and the reworking of the Velvet's Run, Run, Run, but they're both still fun. Plus you get to have a little sleep and a float in the breeze in the middle of the album.

This was really relaxing and honestly just really nice. I feel like I restate the same things a lot but it was just a calm album.

One of those rare albums that just works morning, noon or night, weekend, Monday, drunk, sober. Just suits all 500 versions of me.

cool

Glorious, one of the best discoveries so far. Beautiful stuff

You know I've Been Here Before etc. is a great begin of a great Spiritualized record, which together with the Ladies & Gentlemen We Are Floating in Space album, are two of the best albums released in the 90s. I assume the latter album (being their best known album?) is on the list too (together with at least one Spacemen 3 album) but Lazer Guided Melodies is even better. To compare: some time ago Pitchfork published a nice list of 20 "Dream Pop" albums (Think Galaxie 500, Cocteau Twins, Beach House, Julee Cruise etc). LGM is on place 11 in this list. But even though I would perhaps not qualify LGM as "dream pop" (too much motorik) it should have been much higher in that list...

Really beautiful. Going to listen to them a few more times now. Think I've found something I really like.

Listen to this more! Really enjoyed!

Their best album and a classic

loved this when it came out, still have the version with 4 conjoined song suites. The influences seem pretty obvious now and the middle sags a bit, but still an absolute wonder.

My most seen live band until I moved to Australia. Saw them a bunch of times touring when they only had this album and it could be my favourite, (although big shout out to The Complete Works Vol. 1). Back when it was Spiritualized as an actual functioning band, not just the guy from Spaceman 3 with a random cast of players on each album. There's a coherence about it with its simplicity when compared to some of the later albums. Saw them at Glastonbury playing these songs in 1992 and 1993 so this album is forever the sound of sunset at Glastonbury on a perfect summer's day.

beautiful, made me cry

I liked this a lot x

Spiritualized is such a vibe, but it's the vibe I want on this lazy Friday afternoon. Just love this album.

Didn't know I needed this.

Very cool

So apparently I gave four stars to "Ladies and Gentlemen We Are Floating In Space," would it be blasphemous to give this five?

Spiritualized are what me dreams sounds like. I was lucky enough to see them live a few weeks ago and it was amazing So of course I give this 5 stars

Pretty transcendent chill relaxing vibes. I could listen to this all day. In fact, I think I might! Great music to work to.

Loved this. Lush, dreamy, spacey arrangements. I want to explore more of the band's work now. Fave songs: Shine a Light, Sway, Step Into the Breeze, 200 Bars

Ladies and Gentlemen is one of my favorite 90's alt rock albums, but my experience with their other stuff is surprisingly limited. Surprise surprise, I loved this! The melodies aren't nearly as calculated as the title would make you think- it's an organic listen that has killer transitions. I don't love it as much as their opus yet, but this is def a grower. B+

I kinda liked it, though I wasn't paying a whole lot of attention. It was great background music to work to and more of my style of music. It looped around again and I didn't even notice because I was enjoying it.

This band is the reason I wanted to listen to this 1001 albums list. Never heard of them before now I am a fan. Love the sound. 4/5

New to me, and I'm impressed. It's catchy but at the same time has an ethereal quality to it, and a repetitiveness that is at times is almost trance inducing. I'll be back.

I liked that. Kinda trippy. Album cover encapsulates the vibe

This feels like it’s intended as an album listen not as a collection of songs - in that way it’s an excellent record

Un disco muy interesante: música electrónica de los 90's muy diferente a la que comunmente se asocia con esta década: eurodance, house, etc. Aunque en general el disco es "chill" y tiene canciones muy relajantes, del estilo de "Cigarrettes and Alcohol" como Sway, también canciones energéticas como Run. Es un disco muy agradable y fácil de escuchar, o de utilizar como fondo para trabajar (comprobado al menos 3 veces).

I was surprised by this one, very spacey and cool,

Lovely stuff. Overwhelming and ethereal, just a really great and huge sound

What a gorgeous floaty album! A lovely and relaxing listen. Wonderful space rock. Very dreamy.

i am SHOCKED this album hasn't been sampled to death already

Admittedly I do not know much about the space rock revival, but this album bodes well for the genre. With sounds that are floaty, fun, and comforting, Spiritualized brings a great soundscape to the table that would surely be appreciated by the likes of Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Sigur Ros, and maybe even My Bloody Valentine. Great record for the likes of 1992.

Its absolutely lush. A begrudging minus 1 for its length

4/5. Spiritualized comes through 🤘

7/10 at first i was like. why are they playing the same chord so many times. but then my mindset shifted and i was vibing out

trance

I really enjoyed this.

more of a ladies and gentlemen we are floating in space kinda guy. pretty good but its the archetypal you've got to be in the mood for it music.

Fand das ganz gut, hätte das gern in einer passenderen situation gehört, so wars im Endeffekt bisschen drawn out aber denke wenn man das fühlt ist das vllt sogar eher positiv Hörerfahrung war eine 3 aber seh mich da bisschen mit deswegen 4 fuck it!

better than expected—but very ambient music type

As background music during work I quite enjoyed it. It was relaxing, pleasant and the slight "space-sound" touches made parts of it interesting too. Still as pure background music it's not interesting enough for a 5.

Intricate, bisweilen noisy, ziemlich cool. Verliert ein wenig die eigene Aufmerksamkeit, aber könnte ein Grower sein.

Psychedelic, Brit-Pop, Electronica, this album has it all! I had never heard anything this early in Spiritualized's discography, but I'm glad I got to experience it. Hoping "Ladies and Gentlemen..." is on this list somewhere too.

Ja man, das isses. Ich wollte schon immer mal die ganze Diskographie von Spiritualized anhören, dieses Album ist dabei aber immer auf der Strecke geblieben. Wenn man die Band kennt, dann ist es überhaupt keine Überraschung, dass das hier die Anfänge sind, akustisch ist das sehr nah an Ladies and Gentleman, We Are Floating in Space, jedoch noch nicht so ganz die Ideen umgesetzt. Was ich ja interessant finde ist, mit welchen fast schon banalen Elementen inkooperiert mit Pop/Rock (auf jeden Fall auch von Britpop inspiriert) ein Bild im Kopf entstehen kann, das ganz klar mit dem Weltraum assoziiert wird. Das Thema wird auch vom Text her gar nicht so stark thematisiert, im Gegensatz zum Album danach natürlich, aber diese verhaltene und dennoch maximalistische Weise, wie hier die Songs realisiert wurden, finde ich auch hier einfach sehr bemerkenswert. Der Grundsatz wurde hier gelegt und so Momente wie der Climax von Shine a Light machen das hier sehr lohnenswert anzuhören. Wer das hier mag, dem würde ich ganz dringend auch Ladies and Gentlemen... ans Herz legen, das ist denke ich genau dieses Konzept zuende gedacht, vielleicht etwas rockiger aber auch genauso hymnisch. Sehe gerade auch, dass das auch in der Liste ist. 8/10

Also The Stone Roses haben mit ihrem Album The Stone Roses ein tolles Werk erschaffen. Wenn man diese Formel jetzt nimmt und durch Reverb und WahWah zieht entsteht irgendwo das Spiritualized Debut. Ich kannte das vorher nicht, aber es hat mir ein wohliges Gefühl gegeben von vorne bis hinten. Das Album ist so lieb und irgendwo simpel, trotzdem kann man sich in unendlich drin verlieren. Ich kann so eine Assoziation mit späterem Britpop ziehen der ja durch simple Chords und Melodien trotzdem was ausdrückt, nur wurde das hier quasi zeitlich früher schon yassified. Glaube um das ganz zu fassen, braucht es noch mehr Zeit, finde es aber z.B. ein schönes greifbares Pendant zu dem oft sehr Abstrakten My Bloody Valentine Alben Sound.

Love a bit of Spiritualized