Spiritualized Songs in A&E

4 stars out of 5 -- "SONGS IN A&E finds an eerie strength in quietude and mortality....'Don't Hold Me Too Close' finds peaks in emotional valleys, ending with an exhausted yet striking processional."
"[W]ith the beautiful rock lament 'Borrowed Your Gun' and the bluesily Dylan-ish "Yeah, Yeah'..." -- Grade: B+
4 stars out of 5 -- "It's raw, affecting stuff....SONGS IN A&E swells with tender, cautious optimism. Pierce's voice is higher in the mix than usual, sounding worn but defiant."
"Spiritualized's most vital and compelling set for a decade....Pierce has adopted a bluesier, pared down sound with subtly deployed brass, woodwind and strings."
3 stars out of 5 -- "The first half is filled with wonder. From the mournful hush of 'Sweet Talk' and on to the dizzying head trip of 'You Lie You Cheat,' Pierce has a magic touch."
3 stars out of 5 -- "A&E is generally more subdued, but, like Pierce's earlier work, it's best at its most theatrical. The album is nowhere more chilling than on 'Death Take Your Fiddle.'"
Paste (magazine) (p.67) - "[Pierce] busts the slow jams that have historically formed the band's signature sound; pseudo-gospel that rarely drifts from the keys of A and E..."
3 stars out of 5 -- "[A] deft refinement of classic Spiritualized sounds and themes....'Death Take Your Fiddle' cements Pierce's status as king of heartbreak."
Clash (Magazine) (p.125) - "[H]ere Spiritualized achieve another career peak and transcend their already weighty legacy."