Sweet Heart, Sweet Light

Rolling Stone (p.78) - 3.5 stars out of 5 -- "Spiritualized resolve the rift between Sixties psychedelia and Seventies punk backlash, with focused melodies and pummeled grooves that spin into rainbow-hued infinity." Entertainment Weekly (p.112) - "[With] blissed-out guitar fuzz and melodic psych-hymns...their catchiest effort in years." -- Grade: A- Uncut (p.76) - "[I]t's Pierce's formative, canonical influences that continue to dominate the Spiritualized sound....It's undeniably stirring..." Alternative Press (p.98) - 4 stars out of 5 -- "[W]hat emerges from SWEET HEART SWEET LIGHT's cyclical motions is a surprisingly light touch; Pierce's vocals and playing reach higher and push farther forward than they did on previous albums." Magnet (p.56) - "The heady combination of orchestral maneuvers, spiritual posturing and drone-imbued psychedelia make this a seductive listening experience, and as usual, Pierce is still looking for redemption." Q (Magazine) (p.100) - 3 stars out of 5 -- "Country-soul warms the exquisitely weary kiss-off 'Freedom' and the climactic 'So Long You Pretty Things'....A pleasure..." Mojo (Publisher) (p.92) - 4 stars out of 5 -- "[They] still sound fantastic....[The album] draws out the same intense emotional responses as that first album..."

2月に来日したばかりの英国が誇るサイケデリア大王が、4年ぶりの新作を発表。ライヴ時も大部分がここから披露されていたが、静と動が交錯する彼らならではの轟音サイケデリック・ロックンロールは頑固なまでに不変。しかし、同時にこれまでにはないような親密さを兼ね備えているのが特徴で、それは中心メンバーのジェイソンと実娘とのデュエット曲“So Long You PrettyThings"のイントロに集約されている。
bounce (C)佐藤一道