Ladies and Gentlemen We Are Floating in Space

If any of you are looking to have a spiritual experience, I might be able to help: just go into a dark room, take as many psychedelics as humanly possible, and listen to this album. You will crap your pants from being so mind-blowingly in awe.

Pleasant! Didn't think the UK had this in them during this era

The album instantly hits you with a fully realized version of multiple music tropes. You have the "I Can't Help Falling In Love With You" cover, you've got the Canon in D like chord progression, and you've got it all under the veil of British sadness that was oh so prevalent. Normally this would be a terrible combination that I would hate listening to even a second of, but Spiritualized does it with such finesse and beauty that its hard not to be blown away by something you've assuredly heard thousands of times in other songs. Perhaps its the space-age instrumentation, or the layering upon layering of vocals, all until your brain is fuzzy, but no matter what it is great, and was worth the price of admission alone.

However, the rest of the album is mostly a snooze fest, ranging from generic 90s rock that doesn't stand out whatsoever among its contemporaries, to music that is just random noises for the sake of what I can only assume is creating the best drug trip album ever, and not actually for the sake of music. Sometimes you will get something good peeking through, such as the devastating Broken Heart or the Pink Floyd-inspired Stay With Me and Cop Shoot Cop... but most of this album is forgettable to even bad at points, and should have honestly stuck with the "floating in space" mindset the first track nails, rather than bringing it back down to Earth for needless blues rock-esque numbers and thinking random instruments layered with no cohesion is even kind of achieving the effect they're going for. If anything its sobering, which is not a good thing for this sort of album. Its an album with hints of something better, but the best way to describe it is as a disappointment, with moments that shine through to keep the experience somewhat positive. I was, however, just waiting for the whole album to end so I could re-listen to the first track again, so I'd say stick with that one.

It is fine for what it is. Did drag on a little bit at times but I didn't hate it. 3.5/5

These guys didn't deserve one album in this generator, let alone 2. This is more of that unenthusiastic shoegaze spacey indie shit. Sung as if bored, and full of spacey boops and beeps. Complete garbage. At least it's better than their first one I reviewed (Lazer Guided Melodies), but not by much. Of interest: Cop Shoot Cop... samples John Prine's song Sam Stone. Why do they have to do John Prine so dirty? That song also has a 6 minute break in the middle where the musicians just wail on their instruments and distort them all to hell senselessly. This album is trash.

Favourite songs: Electricity

Least favourite songs: The Individual, No God Only Religion, Cop Shoot Cop... along with most of the rest of this album. It is all garbage. Ffs, is there any need for their last song on the album (Cop Shoot Cop...) to be 17 minutes long? My God...

1/5

This is an album I definitely will come back to. The production was really exciting, and the use of brass, strings, and a gospel choir were captivating. I had no expectations going into it, but coming out, I am certainly impressed. This is probably my favorite album I’ve heard in the “shoegaze” genre.

My only complaint is that I could have done without the 17 minute long closing track—I already felt that the track preceding it was a triumphant end to the record and this one was kind of down tempo, sprawling, and droll.

1 Tablet. 70 Minutes. And not one of them was boring.

What an incredible listen. I normally don't really have a soft spot for this kind of neo-psychedelica sound, but this album was different.

4,5*

medicine covers

I've only really discovered this in the past few years, so I don't have a huge connection with it. There are some fantastic songs on it, particularly the first three. It is quite jam rock-y and, um, space-y in places. So it's one where I find I need to be in the right mood for it. Its a relaxing sort of chill out album, but also quite emotional in places. The last song "Cop Shoot Cop" is 17 mins long, so could be seen as a bit self indulgent. But over all the album is very well produced and put together. You can tell a huge amount of work went into it with a wide range of great musicians. 8/10

Wow I had never heard of this band before. This album really is something special, a real sonic & emotional experience such a mix of genres but still seems to work so well. A true masterpiece, I know I will be listening to this a lot in the future and doing a deeper dive into Spiritualized other albums.

HL: “Broken Heart”, “Cool Waves”

August 23 2022

I had the special edition of this, where the CD was contained in a blister pack, like a giant paracetamol. We listened to it on the way back from an Unbelievable Truth gig, it sent my dad to sleep and he crashed into a hedge.

It's still a great album. I was 16 when I first heard it, and it sounded how I expected love and drugs to be. The album can't quite maintain the starburst of its first three tracks, but it still switches between heartracing and heartbreaking. It's the album Primal Scream, The Verve, and Kasabian wish they made.

I'm a bigger fan of Spacemen 3 as they had a raw quality that was more compelling to me. Though I do like much of this album and respect it's ambition, it's too damn long and gets boring in places.

Nice enough background music (listened whilst cracking on with some work one afternoon). Doesn't do enough for me to lift it into the "elite" category though.

Really good album, not sure why I didn't get into it at the time. Title track, come together, and electricity were my favourite songs.

welp space music it is. just not my speed. I'm docking a star for a 17 minute long, languid album closer.

I think i'm alive. Probably just breathing.

This album has it all. One of the coolest thing ever recorded.

Those 3 opening songs are out of this world.

One of the best album closer ever in Cop Shoot Cop.

A perfect album cover.