You feel the weight of the world in Jason Pierce‘s vocals, each glimpse of vulnerability, every aching thought, in your journey through Spiritualized‘s latest release And Nothing Hurt. The beauty of that alone should draw you in.
These are genuinely heartfelt observances of an artist who worked very much in solitude to produce and finally complete the album. And Pierce is the first to admit, he had quite a few paralyzing moments of, “What…the hell…am I doing?” as working on the album became more complex and he tackled each part on his own. But onward. The resulting gorgeousness – fragility – is mind-blowing.
Many powerful or prolific artists are sometimes crushed by the weight of their own vision. Not Pierce. He’s described his songwriting process as obsessive, meticulous…time-consuming, and his focus is not on the most logical way to complete an album. But it all has to come together, connect. And also he’s realized that, even if what you’re trying to achieve on a certain track is something specific, the music itself takes on a life of its own and takes it somewhere else entirely.
This is one not to miss. Spiritualized is in Austin for a performance tonight at Emo’s, 2015 E. Riverside Dr. Doors open at 7 p.m. Recommended.
-Image courtesy of the artist.
