MOG Editorial Review

With the help of a string quartet and a choir, Spiritualized transformed themselves from spacey indie rock band to the embodiment of a larger than life sound when they put out 1997's Ladies and Gentlemen, We Are Floating in Space. Kicking off with its iconic title track, the band immediately establish a dreamy, orchestral atmosphere complete with the softest vocals yet from Jason Pierce. Immediately after that, though, Spiritualized go from gorgeous to messy with noise track "Come Together," and the rest of the album shifts back and forth between these two sounds, occasionally combining them on songs like "I Think I'm in Love." At a time when many indie bands were priding themselves on slacker ethics, Spiritualized broke the mold by creating something that successful and ambitious, with 17-minute closer "Cop Shoot Cop" serving as the closing exclamation point for this band's true arrival.