Choirs Inspire Arista's Trippy Spiritualized

Jason Pierce is a walking dichotomy. The lead singer/guitarist of the trippy British rock band Spiritualized does not believe in God. Nor is he a big fan of organized religion. Yet his band's new disc, Let It Come Down (Arista, Sept. 25), brims with religious and spiritual references and influences. In fact, the musician is a self-proclaimed gospel fanatic.

Let It Come Down is a partial departure from the space-rock sound of past Spiritualized records, including 1997's intoxicating Ladies & Gentlemen, We Are Floating in Space. On tap is a new band lineup and an earnest amalgam of pure rock'n'roll and live orchestras and choirs.

"Over a year was spent in prep," Pierce says of the set's creative process. "I wrote the orchestrations first, [starting] with the French horns and oboes. I sang the melodies into a Dictaphone and played them note by note on a piano. It was an extremely slow process. I did it this way because I wanted to go outside myself."

First single "Stop Your Crying" ships to college radio in early September. In October, Arista will service the single to modern rock and triple-A. According to Arista VP of marketing Tony Ward, more than 100 retailers, including some chains, have taken part in Arista's pre-order campaign.

Don VanCleave—president of the Coalition of Independent Music Stores and owner of Birmingham, Ala.'s Magic Platter record shop—compares Spiritualized to another unlikely commercial success story. "You look at the insane success of Radiohead—you can't get into their shows," he points out. "They're never on the radio, and they created their own scene. Spiritualized is in that camp with that same crazy genius."

Up next for Spiritualized is a fall tour with a 13-piece band. How will Pierce compensate for the choirs and droves of musicians who appear on the disc? "We won't," he says matter of factly. "It comes to me in folds, and the show constantly changes. If a song has to be changed radically, we'll do that."

Spiritualized is managed by Frank Gironda at Lookout Management in Los Angeles and booked by Sam Kirby at Evolution in New York City.