Sweet Heart Sweet Light Explained

Sweet Heart Sweet Light
Type:studio
Artist:Spiritualized
Cover:Spiritualized - Sweet Heart Sweet Light.png
Border:yes
Released:16 April 2012
Length:59:30
Label:Double Six
Producer:Jason Pierce
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Sweet Heart Sweet Light is the seventh studio album by Spiritualized. It was released on 16 April 2012, on Double Six Records.

Recording and release

The band spent two years recording the album, in three different cities, and frontman Jason Pierce spent another year mixing it at home. Spiritualized previewed the record live, playing it in its entirety during a show at the Royal Albert Hall on 11 October 2011.[1] Sweet Heart Sweet Light featured contributions from Pierce's 11-year-old daughter Poppy Spaceman, as well as contributions from the Icelandic band Amiina.[2] [3] Jason Pierce revealed in an interview that the album will "embrace" more poppy songs. Jason Pierce also stated that the album was partly inspired by the experiences of performing Ladies and Gentlemen We Are Floating in Space live in its entirety.[4]

Sweet Heart Sweet Light was originally going to be called Huh? Pierce was taking medication for liver disease while writing the album, and the original title was a reference to the effects the medicine had on Pierce's mind.[5]

The first song released from the album was "Hey Jane".[6] A music video for "Hey Jane" was released on 19 March 2012.[7] The video has caused controversy over its violent content.[8]

In 2012 it was awarded a silver certification from the Independent Music Companies Association which indicated sales of at least 20,000 copies throughout Europe.[9]

Reception

Sweet Heart Sweet Light has received critical acclaim. From a collected 38 reviews, the review website Metacritic gives the album a score of 81 out of 100, indicating "universal acclaim".Pitchforks Ryan Dombal gave the album a "Best New Album" designation, calling it Pierce's most uplifting album of his career. In another positive review, BBC Music's Chris Lo wrote "For every diehard fan there's someone else wondering what all the fuss is about. Sweet Heart Sweet Light, Spiritualized's seventh studio album, isn't going to change any of that." Lo concluded: "...it's a Spiritualized album, and a great one."[10] Rob Hakimian also praised the album, writing "All ten of the songs here are grandiose and muscular in the great tradition of Spiritualized songs, doing away entirely with the fragility that cropped up on songs like "Death Take Your Fiddle" from their last album."[11]

Not all reviews were positive. In a more mixed review, Drowned in Sound's Didz Hammond wrote: "It is, all in all, a pretty solid front half of a Spiritualized album that sort of transmits intermittently in the middle and then totally falls on its arse for the last three tracks."[12] Harry Sword of The Quietus gave the album a negative review, writing "Not only does Sweet Heart Sweet Light hit all patented Spiritualized thematic buttons squarely between the eyes – religion, drugs, sickness and redemption – it is also a record that covers everything with a Wyoming sized scoop of full-fat icky sentiment." Sword concluded: "And where previous lyrical excesses have often been tempered by a genius for tension building arrangement, the overriding vibe on Sweet Heart Sweet Light is that of bloated self-parody, and gratuitous self-pity."[13]

The album was listed 20th on Stereogums list of top 50 albums of 2012.[14]

Track listing

All songs written by Jason Pierce except where noted.

  1. "Huh? (Intro)" – 1:00
  2. "Hey Jane" – 8:51
  3. "Little Girl" – 3:43
  4. "Get What You Deserve" – 6:47
  5. "Too Late" – 3:45
  6. "Headin' for the Top Now" – 8:22
  7. "Freedom" – 4:31
  8. "I Am What I Am" (Pierce, Dr. John) – 4:37
  9. "Mary" – 6:11
  10. "Life Is a Problem" – 4:02
  11. "So Long You Pretty Thing" (Pierce, Poppy Spaceman) – 7:49

Personnel

The following people contributed to Sweet Heart Sweet Light.[15]

Musicians

Spiritualized

Additional musicians

Additional personnel

Charts

Chart performance for Sweet Heart Sweet Light! Chart (2012)! Peak
position

Notes and References

  1. http://www.doublesixrecords.com/doublesix/albums/14-02-12/sweet-heart-sweetlight Spiritualized • Sweet Heart Sweet Light
  2. http://www.fatpossum.com/news/241 Spiritualized "Sweet Heart Sweet Light"
  3. Norris, John. Spiritualized Goes Pop. Interview. Retrieved 22 April 2012.
  4. Web site: Jason Pierce 'living in the studio' to record new Spiritualized album | News . Nme.Com . 7 July 2010 . 23 December 2011.
  5. Dombal, Ryan. Take Cover: Spiritualized: Sweet Heart Sweet Light. Pitchfork Media. 6 April 2012. Retrieved 22 April 2012.
  6. Battan, Carrie. Spiritualized Share New Song and WTF Album Cover. Pitchfork. 24 February 2012. Retrieved 22 April 2012.
  7. Minsker, Evan. NSFW Video: Spiritualized: "Hey Jane". Pitchfork Media. 19 March 2012. Retrieved 22 April 2012.
  8. Web site: Shaffer. Nathan. Spiritualized – Sweet Heart Sweet Light.
  9. Web site: Aktuelles VUT: VUT - Verband unabhängiger Musikunternehmer*innen e. V..
  10. Web site: Chris. Lo. Music – Review of Spiritualized – Sweet Heart Sweet Light. BBC Music. 11 April 2012.
  11. Web site: Hakimian. Rob. Album Review: Spiritualized – Sweet Heart Sweet Light. Beats Per Minutes. 19 April 2012. 2 April 2012.
  12. Web site: Hammond. Didz. Spiritualized – Sweet Heart Sweet Light. Drowend in Sound. 19 April 2012. 16 April 2012. 13 April 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20120413175950/http://drownedinsound.com/releases/16937/reviews/4144763. dead.
  13. Sword, Harry. Spiritualized – Sweet Heart Sweet Light. The Quietus. 16 April 2012. Retrieved 19 April 2012.
  14. Web site: Stereogum's Top 50 Albums of 2012. 5 December 2012.
  15. https://www.allmusic.com/album/sweet-heart-sweet-light-r2372750/credits Sweet Heart, Sweet Light – Credits

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