There's still no progress report on the new Spiritualized album, but the groups's leader, Jason Pierce aka J. Spaceman, has just released a limited edition live CD. The CD captures the debut performance of Pierce collaborating with artists Iain Forsyth and Jane Pollard on a subliminal sound art piece entitled Silent Sound.

Silent Sound's website shares details on how the recording was accomplished.

The CD consists of two tracks, The entire live performance on one track preceded by an introduction track by Dr. Ciarn O'Keeffe, a Doctor of Parapsychology. The disc's packaging was done in collaboration with Vaghan Oliver, 4AD's long-time in-house album sleeve designer. Sound is available for sale via its website and is limited to 1000 signed copies only.

In related news, Spiritualized synth-man and former Coil member Thighpaulsandra recently released a similar sound/art piece entitled The Lepore Extrusion. The CD is the soundtrack to Artist Daniel McKernan's video installation entitled Is Evolution Evil? starring transexual superstar/scary lady Amanda Lepore. Limited signed copies of the CD can be purchased through Thighp's website.

Here's an easy way to make an album, and one that will sell. The only caveat is that you need a back catalogue and a name that was made famous by your incredibly legendary husband. Ok, two caveats.

That was step one. Step two is you offer up said back catalogue to incredibly talented and hot, young artists, and ask them to rework one of your songs, and you provide them with the original vocal track.

Done. Well, then you have to release it in February on Astralwerks.

That's the Yoko Ono guide to getting your name back in to the hearts of the youth.

When Yoko picked up the phone she called Jason Pierce (of Spiritualized), The Flaming Lips, Cat Power, Antony (from Antony and the Johnsons), Polyphonic Spree, Peaches, Le Tigre... you get the idea. The results are Yes, I'm a Witch an album that walks the line of remixes, duets, and covers. It's like a venn diagram in a CD. The artists were offered the background music as well, but apparently almost all just took the vocals and reworked the supporting music. Go figure.

Oh, Yoko. You got an awesome rolodex.

Still Got It

If you were thinking of naming your kid J.Spaceman, don't bother. That shit is registered, ®, by Mr. Jason Pierce of Spiritualized®. And he's taking the moniker on the road this fall.

After a crushing and mysterious illness that struck the singer/songwriter/spaceman last year, he is celebrating his recovery and new album with an acoustic tour. The star does acoustic tours a little differently than your gay cousin rocking the local starbucks' open mic night. Spaceman's crew will include accompaniment on all dates by a string quartet, gospel singers and Doggen on Fender Rhodes. Doggen, not Dokken. I know that would have been awesome.

The UK tour will hit the following stops:

Guests are likely to hear songs from the forthcoming Spiritualized® album, as well as cuts from the Spaceman 3 and Spiritualized® catalogue. The new album is due out in early 2007, on which mixing has resumed since the singer's recovery. On many LPs, Jason likes to direct a few words to the big guy in the sky, but now he's basically producing evil itself. I would have thought Satan would have gone with the Matrix or Neptunes for his big debut, but I guess I was wrong. Pierce describes the new album as:

Feeling better. Way better.
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