Spiritualized's J. Spaceman Makes 'Silent Sound'
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 debut performance of J. Spaceman's new composition, performed by 12 strings, 8 horns, grand piano, tubular bells and vibraphone. This music carries a subliminal message.
Inspired by The Davenport Brothers, Victorian Spiritualists who conducted a public séance inside their Spirit Cabinet on the same Liverpool stage in 1865, Forsyth & Pollard performed inside their own soundproof cabinet, hypnotically repeating a single phrase into a microphone. This signal was processed by their custom-built Silent Sound Machine and transmitted to the audience, embedded in the music, outside the auditory range of human hearing."
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.
Spiritualized Frontman Solo Tour
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:
Salisbury Arts Centre (October 20)
Brighton Komedia (22)
London Queen Elizabeth Hall (23)
Colchester Arts Centre (24)
Leicester The Y (25)
Kendal Brewery Arts Centre (November 22)
Gateshead Sage (23)
Manchester Lowry (24)
Edinburgh Queen's Hall (25)
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:
the work of the devil......with a little guidance from me
Feeling better. Way better.
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