6. Lazer Guided Melodies (1992)

In a lot of ways, Lazer Guided Melodies was a continuation and refinement of the work Pierce had produced in Spacemen 3, which makes sense considering at this point Spiritualized was still comprised of musicians who had been in Spacemen 3. Aside from the stripped back (by Spiritualized standards, mind you) Amazing Grace, Lazer Guided Melodies may also be the simplest Spiritualized album. That may seem an odd assertion for an album coated in production flourishes and firmly committed to establishing Spiritualized’s reputation for really, really loving guitar pedals, but many of the songs within the churning soundscapes are really actually quite poppy in a ’60s psychedelic pop kind of way, particularly “I Want You” and “Run.” Those songs end the first — and maybe the strongest — of four suites that comprise Lazer Guided Melodies. At this point in his career, that seemed to be where Pierce excelled; later on the album, there are glimpses of things that would become defining elements of Spiritualized, but they’re in a more nascent form. The gospel-tinged ballads are gauzier, not yet cathartic, the drones more aimless, refusing to establish the dramatic tension Pierce would become so adept at creating. In a way, this is nit-picking. Lazer Guided Melodies is a gorgeous album start to finish, even if a touch front-loaded in the songwriting department. It’s hazy, there’s no arguing that, but there’s an attractiveness in its indistinguishability. The main issue is that, between its direct lineage from Spacemen 3 and its nature as a sketchbook for future achievements, Lazer Guided Melodies doesn’t feel quite like Spiritualized yet.