Spiritualized Pure Phase 180g 2LP

Pure Phase is the second album by Spiritualized, released on 28 March 1995. The album was recorded in the Moles Studio in Bath, England and features contributions from The Balanescu Quartet.

At the time of release, Pierce had renamed the band as "Spiritualized Electric Mainline," the name that appears on the album cover, before reverting to the Spiritualized name shortly afterwards.

The tunefulness is still intact on the new Pure Phase, particularly on such pop snacks as 'Let It Flow' and 'Lay Back in the Sun,' but this is a far denser, more involving work. Pierce's inspirations have been immersed in a lush stream of sound, head music that alternately caresses and bombards the senses, enhanced by separate mixes in each stereo channel.

In this soundtrack for an imaginary movie, the motion is cyclical rather than linear, the music floating in space. Pierce's melodies don't dance so much as shimmer, with drums and percussion barely audible. Wan Farfisa organ chords dissolve into oscillating sci-fi swirls, a blues harmonica wails in a void, a warehouse of clocks chimes and whirs, an avalanche of guitars overtakes a disembodied gospel choir, a string quartet plucks and swoons, a shortwave radio spews white noise, horns bleat in melancholy distress. It's more like a loop unraveling than a series of songs.