Songs In A&E＜限定盤＞

スピリチュアライズドの通算6作目となるフルアルバム。2005年に病に倒れ、一時は危篤状態まで陥り生死の狭間を行き来した、ジェイソン・ピアースが完全復活を遂げた傑作。

Spin (p.106) - 4 stars out of 5 -- "SONGS IN A&E finds an eerie strength in quietude and mortality....'Don't Hold Me Too Close' finds peaks in emotional valleys, ending with an exhausted yet striking processional." Entertainment Weekly (p.70) - "[W]ith the beautiful rock lament 'Borrowed Your Gun' and the bluesily Dylan-ish "Yeah, Yeah'..." -- Grade: B+ Uncut (p.87) - 4 stars out of 5 -- "It's raw, affecting stuff....SONGS IN A&E swells with tender, cautious optimism. Pierce's voice is higher in the mix than usual, sounding worn but defiant." The Wire (p.61) - "Spiritualized's most vital and compelling set for a decade....Pierce has adopted a bluesier, pared down sound with subtly deployed brass, woodwind and strings." Q (Magazine) (p.140) - 3 stars out of 5 -- "The first half is filled with wonder. From the mournful hush of 'Sweet Talk' and on to the dizzying head trip of 'You Lie You Cheat,' Pierce has a magic touch." Blender (Magazine) (p.76) - 3 stars out of 5 -- "A&E is generally more subdued, but, like Pierce's earlier work, it's best at its most theatrical. The album is nowhere more chilling than on 'Death Take Your Fiddle.'" Paste (magazine) (p.67) - "[Pierce] busts the slow jams that have historically formed the band's signature sound; pseudo-gospel that rarely drifts from the keys of A and E..." Record Collector (magazine) (pp.98-99) - 3 stars out of 5 -- "[A] deft refinement of classic Spiritualized sounds and themes....'Death Take Your Fiddle' cements Pierce's status as king of heartbreak." Clash (Magazine) (p.125) - "[H]ere Spiritualized achieve another career peak and transcend their already weighty legacy."

病気を乗り越えたスピリチュアライズドことジェイソン・ピアースの5年ぶりとなる新作は、イントロの女性コーラス隊が紡ぐ荘厳な雰囲気も手伝って、完全復活と呼ぶに相応しい仕上がり。息遣いまで聴こえてきそうな本作には、これまでになかった瑞々しい生命力が宿っている。ストリングスのハーモニーやギター・ノイズが奏でる美しい音色、そしてノスタルジックなヴォーカルが、ただひたすら心地良く耳を撫でる一枚だ。
bounce (C)平塚 望