| Everything Was Beautiful | ||||
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 22 April 2022 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 44:01 | |||
| Label | Fat Possum | |||
| Spiritualized chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Everything Was Beautiful | ||||
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Everything Was Beautiful is the ninth studio album by Spiritualized, released under Fat Possum Records on April 22, 2022. [2] The album contains influences from psychedelic music, gospel music, and classic rock. [1]
The content of Everything Was Beautiful was taken from the same demo sessions as and serves as a companion piece to the band's previous album, And Nothing Hurt . [4] Put together, both album titles form the quote "Everything Was Beautiful and Nothing Hurt", taken from the 1969 novel Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut. [5] The album's lead vocalist, Jason Pierce, played 16 different instruments during the album. [2] [6] [7] [8] [9]
The album's first single and music video, "Always Together with You", was released on 2 November 2021; [10] the album's second single and music video, "Crazy", was released on 10 January 2022; [11] the album's third and final single and music video, "The Mainline Song", was released on 7 March 2022. [12]
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AnyDecentMusic? | 8.2/10 [13] |
| Metacritic | 83/100 [14] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [15] |
| The Arts Desk |  [9] |
| Beats Per Minute | 78% [16] |
| Clash | 9/10 [17] |
| Evening Standard | [7] |
| The Line of Best Fit | 9/10 [18] |
| NME | [8] |
| Paste | 8.5/10 [19] |
| Pitchfork | 7.8/10 [2] |
| Under the Radar | 9/10 [20] |
On the review aggregate site Metacritic, Everything Was Beautiful earned a rating of 83 out of 100, based on 23 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim". [21] Aggregator AnyDecentMusic? gave it 8.2 out of 10, based on their assessment of the critical consensus [13] and ranked it the 18th best album of 2022. [22] The album received 4/5 stars from the Observer [23] and 4/5 from the NME. [24] Ben Cardew of Pitchfork gave the album a 7.8/10 and described the album "like meeting an old friend and finding new shared memories." [2] Caleb Campbell writing for Under the Radar gave the album a 9/10 while claiming that there is "immensely evident craftsmanship that runs through the album". [1] AllMusic reviewer Fred Thomas described the album as a "delirious and exciting, a perfect distilment of the best parts of the band's various phases that feels reinvigorated and new" and gave the album a 4.5/5. [4] Writing for The Line of Best Fit , John Amen gave the album 9/10 and concluded, "Everything Was Beautiful shows Spiritualized accessing yet another artistic plateau, forging an exemplary hybridization of unshakeable songs and sublimely assembled music." [25] In Relix , Justin Jacobs notes that Spaceman relies on "many of his old tricks, but the music still comes out sounding fresh and colorful" and writes that "his heady sound feels more vital than ever". [26]
All tracks are written by J. Spaceman
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Always Together with You" | 6:39 |
| 2. | "Best Thing You Never Had (The D Song)" | 5:52 |
| 3. | "Let It Bleed (For Iggy)" | 4:41 |
| 4. | "Crazy" | 3:52 |
| 5. | "The Mainline Song" | 5:56 |
| 6. | "The A Song (Laid in Your Arms)" | 7:07 |
| 7. | "I'm Coming Home Again" | 9:54 |
| Total length: | 44:01 | |
| Chart (2022) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders) [27] | 153 |
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia) [28] | 77 |
| German Albums (Offizielle Top 100) [29] | 50 |
| Scottish Albums (OCC) [30] | 3 |
| Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE) [31] | 71 |
| Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade) [32] | 20 |
| UK Albums (OCC) [33] | 5 |
| US Independent Albums (Billboard) [34] | 39 |
Per the album liner notes [35] :
Spiritualized are an English rock band formed in 1990 in Rugby, Warwickshire, by Jason Pierce, formerly of Spacemen 3. After several line up-changes, in 1999, the band centered on Pierce, Doggen Foster (guitar) and Kevin Bales with revolving bassists and keyboard players. The band's current bassist, James Stelfox, has been playing with the band since 2012.
Ladies and Gentlemen We Are Floating in Space is the third studio album by English space rock band Spiritualized, released on 16 June 1997. The album features guest appearances from the Balanescu Quartet, The London Community Gospel Choir and Dr. John.
Siren is the third studio album by Heather Nova, released in 1998.
Amazing Grace is the fifth album by the British rock band Spiritualized, so named to indicate its considerable gospel influence. Although the title hymn does not appear on the album, the ballad "Hold On" is based upon the same melody, and the opening track "This Little Life of Mine" is clearly indebted to the spiritual "This Little Light of Mine".
Recurring is the fourth and final Spacemen 3 studio album, released in early 1991 on Fire Records. The band had broken up prior to the release of the album. During the recording, the relations between band members had soured to the extent that the record is in two parts – the first side by Peter Kember, and the second by Jason Pierce.
Psycho Circus is the eighteenth studio album by American rock band Kiss and the first and only album to involve all four original members since 1979's Dynasty. While touted as a band effort, Peter Criss only played drums on the Ace Frehley-penned track, "Into the Void", and guitarist Frehley only played on two regular album tracks, the one he wrote plus "You Wanted the Best". He also played on a bonus track called "In Your Face", penned by Simmons. All four band members, however, sang lead vocals on the album.
Let It Come Down is the fourth studio album by the rock band Spiritualized, released in 2001. It was recorded and produced at Abbey Road and AIR Studios. It took Jason Pierce, Spiritualized's lead singer, guitarist and sole constant member, four years to write, perform, produce and release. The album utilises 115 session musicians, including orchestra and London Community Gospel Choir. The wall of sound technique is evident on this album, especially on such tracks as "Do It All Over Again", "Stop Your Crying", "The Straight and the Narrow" and "Out of Sight".
Pure Phase is the second studio album by Spiritualized, released on 28 March 1995. The album was recorded in the Moles Studio in Bath, and features contributions from The Balanescu Quartet. Initial CD copies were sold in a glow-in-the-dark, encapsulated CD case.
Royal Albert Hall October 10, 1997 is a live album by the English space rock group Spiritualized, recorded during an October show at the Royal Albert Hall in London as part of their 1997 tour of the United Kingdom. The album was released in late 1998.
Songs in A&E is the sixth studio album by English rock band Spiritualized and is their first since 2003's Amazing Grace. It was released on 26 May 2008 in the UK on Sanctuary Records and on 27 May in the USA on Fontana Records. It was released on standard CD worldwide, as well as a limited edition book and double 12" vinyl in the UK. The album's first single was "Soul on Fire," released on 19 May 2008 in the UK. Frontman Jason Pierce has said that the album is "the work of The Devil...with a little guidance from me."
The Eternal is the fifteenth and final studio album by American rock band Sonic Youth, released on June 9, 2009, by Matador Records. It was their first studio album in three years, making it the band's longest gap between studio albums.
A Beautiful Exchange is the nineteenth album in the live praise and worship series of contemporary worship by Hillsong Church. It was recorded at the Sydney Entertainment Centre and Hillsong Church in Australia by Reuben Morgan, Darlene Zschech, Joel Houston and the Hillsong Worship Team. The album was released in the United States on 29 June 2010 in partnership with EMI.
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Monster is the twentieth and final studio album by American rock band Kiss, released on October 9, 2012. It was recorded at Conway Recording Studios in Hollywood, California and The Nook in Studio City, Los Angeles. As with 2009's Sonic Boom, Monster was produced by Paul Stanley and Greg Collins, and featured the lineup of Stanley, Gene Simmons (vocals/bass), Eric Singer (drums/vocals), and Tommy Thayer (guitar/vocals).
Sweet Heart Sweet Light is the seventh studio album by Spiritualized. It was released on 16 April 2012, on Double Six Records.
Between the Times and the Tides is the ninth studio album by the American alternative rock musician Lee Ranaldo, released on March 20, 2012 on Matador Records. His first release on Matador Records and since Sonic Youth's indefinite hiatus, the album features a more straightforward songwriting approach to his prior material and includes guest musicians such as Nels Cline, John Medeski and Leah Singer. The album was originally intended to be a minimalist acoustic album but its sound was developed by Ranaldo during its recording at Echo Canyon West in Hoboken, New Jersey during a seven-month period in early 2011.
And Nothing Hurt is the eighth studio album by Spiritualized. The album was released on 7 September 2018 through Fat Possum Records in the United States and Bella Union in the United Kingdom, and is the band's first album in six years since 2012's Sweet Heart Sweet Light. The album was announced on 11 June 2018, along with the release of the album's first singles, "I'm Your Man" and "A Perfect Miracle". The album was produced by Jason Pierce.
Spaceman is the sixth studio album by American guitarist Ace Frehley, released on October 19, 2018. The album features a guest appearance from Frehley's former Kiss bandmate Gene Simmons who also co-wrote two tracks.
The Quest is the twenty-second studio album by English progressive rock band Yes, released on 1 October 2021 by InsideOut Music and Sony Music. It is their first studio album featuring Billy Sherwood since The Ladder (1999), replacing bassist Chris Squire following his death in 2015, making this Yes' first studio album without any original members. It is also their first studio album since Talk (1994) to feature a single producer, guitarist Steve Howe, and their last to feature drummer Alan White before his death in 2022.
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