Spiritualized brings the gospel of acid to Seattle

For a genre, drug music might have the sweetest gig in town. As long as people are getting messed up, they're going to want something to listen to while they do it. While it's easy to focus on the old-school classic drug tunes (Pink Floyd, The Doors, whatever else has a laser show), but there are a handful of bands today that can give the dinosaurs a run for their money. Of those, none offer more drama than Spiritualized.

Band leader/guru Jason Pierce had a motto in his previous band, the trace-rock Spaceman 3: "Take drugs to make music to take drugs to." With Spiritualized, he seems to be straining to take that mantra to the next level. Songs like "The 12 Steps" and "The Straight and the Narrow" don't exactly dance around their subject matter. A perfectionist both on stage and in the studio, Pierce infamously spent two years mastering a brilliant finished album entitled, Ladies and Gentleman We Are Floating in Space, and has been firing band mates for as long as he's had them to fire. No big deal, though, because Pierce is more of a conductor than a band member and the tunes are uniformly ace.

Songs typically have minimalist beginnings before ending awash in a specter-like wall of strings, bleeps and choirs. Ridiculously triumphant choruses take on a sermon-like quality. In fact, the gospel element of Spiritualized shouldn't be overlooked. With tales of faith vs. sin and song titles like "Won't Get To Heaven (The Shape I'm In)" and "Lord Can You Hear Me," listening to Spiritualized is half way to attending church, stoned out of your mind and freaking out.

The records are good, but Spiritualized is meant to be seen live. CD-quality sound is nice, but the power of seeing such a glorious construction can't be duplicated. Expect a packed stage of musicians working to take the music to the same heights and layers it reaches in the studio. When it succeeds, it's like the difference between going to a service on Sunday and watching Trinity Broadcasting on the tube. Other's reactions to the gospel are part of the program. The last time I saw Spiritualized live, the person standing next to me totally lost it and ran out of the building. Something tells me it might happen again this time, and a solid drug freak-out is always worth the price of admission.

Spiritualized plays the Showbox Theatre with DJ Ashley Whales Tuesday Nov. 6. Tickets are $16.50 through Fastixx, or $19 at the door. Doors open at 8 p.m. 21 and over.