A Month Curated by A Ten Year Old #14

Luminescence (Stay With Me) – Spiritualized (1991, Dedicated Records, Taken from ‘The Complete Works Volume 1’)

Welcome to week four of our quick dash through a playlist created my daughter.  A playlist that has been at times a little bit crazy, a little bit eclectic but nearly always brilliant.  Last week my daughter insisted on pressing the shuffle button for us all week and she gave us music from Lush, The Orb, SBTRKT and some obscure Norwegian power pop amongst other things. This week it is back to being my responsibility – so it is likely that the music won’t be as eclectically brilliant.  However, we pick up where we left off last week.

The last time my daughter pressed the shuffle button it left us with the ambient drone rock wonder that is ‘Luminescence (Stay with Me)’ by Spiritualized.  A frankly incredible piece of music that was originally found (I think) on the B Side to the glow in the dark copy of the bands ‘Run’ single (it might have been on the non glow in the dark versions as well).

My daughter has lots of things that glow in the dark.  Her bedroom ceiling is awash with stars that are stuck to it that light up when it darks, making it look like she is outside on a clear night.  She also has a bunch of old glow in the dark unicorns, purchased a few years ago when she went through a phase of being obsessed with unicorns, every now again I’ll come across one of these unicorns acting as a bookmark or stuffed in a sock drawer for some unknown reason.  I miss those days where I could buy a cheap piece of tat and bring it home for my daughter and it would absolutely make her week.  These days her week is made by an extra hour in bed or being able to play the frustratingly irritating nonsense that is Roblox online at the same time as her mates.  Still, at least she listens to decent music, for now.

‘Luminescence’ is a tremendous thing, a looping drone effect swirls around the place as soft vocals gently whisper “Stay With Me” over the top of it. It comes from a time when Jason Pierce was still experimenting with different sounds and techniques, many of which ended up as B Sides or as some smart arse called them‘sound suites’ on the bands second album ‘Pure Phase’ that joined other songs together.  I used to tut when they did this because I much preferred them to make you know actual songs, but as I get older, I’m beginning to see the wonder of some of these. 

Like this for instance, which was also on the B Side to ‘Run’.

Effervescent (Chimes) – Spiritualized (1991, Dedicated Records, Taken from The Complete Works Volume 1’

Or this, which perhaps the greatest sound suite which Pierce ever recorded. 

Feel So Sad (Rhapsodies) – Spiritualized (1991, Dedicated Records, Taken from ‘Feel So Sad’ Single)

Her is my daughter with her view on ‘Luminescence’ “This is one of the tracks that I listen to when I do yoga in the lounge because it is relaxing.  I also listen to it when I am falling asleep.  I don’t like some of the other Spiritualized songs that daddy plays.”

Well we’d best change the track then….hadn’t we.

Obvs – Jamie XX (2015, Young Records, Taken from ‘In Colour’)

“Oh I love the drums on this.  It’s a kettle drum, can’t remember who its by though.” 

Its by Jamie XX, but you all knew that already because I’ve typed it two lines up.  The drum on this is actually brilliant, not sure if it a kettle drum or just a sampled one.  It also has a brilliant break in it around half way through that changes the dynamic of the song entirely only to spin itself back on its head all over again a bit later.  Seriously good.

Tomorrow Massive Attack.

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