Reissued September 10, 2021
Fat Possum Records
2xLP (Gatefold)
Originally released in 1997 at the height of the Britpop, Ladies and Gentlemen, We Are Floating in Space leans away from the Beatles and Kinks influenced songwriting from acts like Blur and Oasis and instead opts for spacey, controlled chaos intermixed with angelic levels of beauty. Though it has long been denied by frontman Jason Pierce, the album is reportedly inspired by the dissolution of his relationship with keyboardist Kate Radley, with lovelorn songs like the title track and “Broken Heart” certainly pointing in that direction. However, there’s simply too much going on in this album to simply classify it as a breakup album. For every choral-backed love song there is another extended noise freakout like the mammoth 17-minute closer “Cop Shoot Cop”. Ladies and Gentlemen, We Are Floating in Space is ultimately about life and all the chaos and ups and downs that come with it.