“Come Together” – Spiritualized
(Words/music: Jason Pierce, available on Ladies and Gentlemen We Are Floating in Space, Dedicated 1997)

The one time I saw Spiritualized (sometime in the fall / winter of 2003 I think), I was sick.  Against my better judgment, I took a bunch of cold medication and decided to tough out the show the best I could.  So I stood in the small club perhaps fifteen or twenty feet away from a seated Jason Pierce and lasted for about an hour of the sonic assault.  After about fifteen minutes, everyone around me entered into a sonicly induced trance, and at some point I’m sure my Tylenol Cold & Flu dosage served as an advantage (or, at least the closest to the medicated state that some argue is necessary to listen to a Spiritualized record).  Even as I reluctantly snuck out before the first set break, I wished I felt strong enough to stick out the entire set of Pierce’s tiny guitar symphonies.

More than any other song in his catalogue, “Come Together” captures the sonic bludgeoning my clogged up head took that night.  While most rock songs emphasize the back beat, “Come Together” comes front loaded, resting its weight on each measure’s downbeat.  Whether it’s the way Pierce leans into the lyric at the beginning of each measure or the heavier drum beats landing at the top of the measure, Pierce crafts an overloaded waltz.  While most waltzes move gracefully and nimbly over the triple meter, the overloading of sounds makes “Come Together” sound more like a storm than a gala.  Whether it’s warbling guitars, stately horns, squealing harmonica, or the London Community Gospel Choir backing Pierce, each layer feels like another storm squall crashing against the house.  Even if nothing (except possibly Pierce’s word choice) feels aggressive, the result still feels overwhelming.  This was the experience that night, where my body threw in the towel before my heart was ready.  In a different way, this is the feeling listening to the best Spiritualized records – one where the album commands surrender to its sonic presence and we’re obliged to sit back and listen.

More on Spiritualized: Allmusic | Amazon MP3 | Emusic | Last.fm