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{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{Infobox album
{{Infobox album
| name = Pygmalion
| name = Pygmalion
| type = studio
| type = studio
| artist = [[Slowdive]]
| artist = [[Slowdive]]
| cover = Pygmalion_album.jpg
| cover = Pygmalion album.jpg
| border = yes
| border = yes
| alt =
| alt =
| released = {{start date|1995|2|6|df=yes}}
| released = {{start date|1995|02|06|df=yes}}
| recorded = 1994
| recorded =
| venue =
| venue =
| studio = Courtyard Studios in [[Sutton Courtenay]], [[Oxfordshire]], England
| studio = Courtyard ([[Sutton Courtenay]])
| genre = {{flatlist|
| genre = {{flatlist|
* [[Ambient music#Ambient pop|Ambient pop]]<ref>{{cite web| url=http://spectrumculture.com/2015/08/06/holy-hell-pygmalion-turns-20/ | title=Holy Hell! Pygmalion Turns 20 | work=Spectrum Culture | author=Korber, Kevin | date=6 August 2015 |access-date=10 July 2017}}</ref><ref name="Pitchfork"/>
* [[Shoegazing]]
* [[post-rock]]<ref name="Pitchfork"/>
* [[dream pop]]
* [[Psychedelic music|psychedelia]]<ref name="BBC">{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/music/reviews/mvfd/ |title=Slowdive ''Pygmalion'' Review |publisher=[[BBC Music]] |date=9 August 2010 |access-date=8 May 2016 |last=Wallace |first=Wyndham}}</ref>
* [[Ambient music|ambient]]
* [[electronica]]<ref name="BBC"/>
* [[post-rock]]
}}
}}
| length = {{duration|m=48|s=23}}
| length = {{duration|m=48|s=11}}
| label = [[Creation Records|Creation]]
| label = [[Creation Records|Creation]]
| producer = {{flatlist|
| producer = {{flatlist|
* [[Chris Hufford]]
* [[Chris Hufford]]
* Slowdive
* Slowdive
}}
}}
| prev_title = [[Souvlaki (album)|Souvlaki]]
| prev_title = 5
| prev_year = 1993
| prev_year = 1993
| next_title = [[Catch the Breeze]]
| next_title = [[Catch the Breeze]]
| next_year = 2004
| next_year = 2004
| misc = {{Extra chronology
| artist = [[Slowdive]] studio album
| type = album
| prev_title = [[Souvlaki (album)|Souvlaki]]
| prev_year = 1993
| title = Pygmalion
| year = 1995
| next_title = [[Slowdive (album)|Slowdive]]
| next_year = 2017
}}
}}
}}


'''''Pygmalion''''' is the third studio album by English [[rock music|rock]] band [[Slowdive]], released on 6 February 1995 by record label [[Creation Records|Creation]]. It was the final Slowdive album to be released before the band went on a hiatus in 1995, and their only album to featured new drummer Ian McCutcheon, replacing the previous drummer [[Simon Scott (drummer)|Simon Scott]].
'''''Pygmalion''''' is the third [[studio album]] by English [[Rock music|rock]] band [[Slowdive]], released on 6 February 1995 by [[Creation Records]]. It was the group's final album before their disbandment in 1995 and later reformation in 2014, and their only album with Ian McCutcheon, who had replaced [[Simon Scott (drummer)|Simon Scott]] on drums.


== Content ==
==Composition==
''Pygmalion'' is a significant departure from the [[shoegaze]] style that Slowdive had established in their previous two [[studio album]]s, ''[[Just for a Day]]'' (1991) and ''[[Souvlaki (album)|Souvlaki]]'' (1993). The album features a more experimental sound tilted towards [[Ambient music|ambient electronic music]],<ref name="BBC"/> with sparse, atmospheric arrangements. ''[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]]''{{'}}s Nitsuh Abebe described the album's songs as "[[Ambient music#Ambient pop|ambient pop]] dreams" that are stylistically closer to [[post-rock]], in the then-contemporary first wave of the genre, than the band's trademark style.<ref name="Pitchfork"/> Regardless, [[BBC Music]] writer Wyndham Wallace still viewed ''Pygmalion'' as a shoegaze album, although not in the conventional sense of the style, noting that at points the album forgoes conventional percussion, or percussion in general, entirely.<ref name="BBC"/>
A departure from their previous two albums, ''Pygmalion'' incorporated a more experimental sound tilted towards [[ambient music|ambient]] electronic music, with sparse, atmospheric arrangements. All compositions were by [[Neil Halstead]]. Lyrics on tracks "Miranda" and "Visions of LA" were by [[Rachel Goswell]].


With the exception of the lyrics for the songs "Miranda" and "Visions of LA", which were written by [[Rachel Goswell]], ''Pygmalion'' was composed by [[Neil Halstead]].<ref name="Notes"/> Several songs on the album reflect Halstead's experimentation with digital technology and techniques such as [[Loop (music)|looping]] and [[Reverb effect|reverb]]. This was born out of his then-increasing fascination with [[electronica]] and [[Electronic dance music|dance music]],<ref name="Watson">{{cite AV media notes |chapter=Slowdive: ''Pygmalion'' |chapter-url=http://www.ianwatsonuk.com/slowdivethree.html |access-date=10 May 2021 |last=Watson |first=Ian |title=Pygmalion |others=[[Slowdive]] |publisher=[[Castle Communications|Castle Music]] |year=2005 |id=CMQCD 1246 |type=liner notes}}</ref> which he had been introduced to in 1992 by ex-[[Seefeel]] member [[Mark Van Hoen]], who had played [[Aphex Twin]]'s ''[[Selected Ambient Works 85-92]]'' for Halstead.<ref name="quietus">{{cite web |url=https://thequietus.com/interviews/bakers-dozen/slowdive-neil-halstead-interview-favourite-albums/9/ |title=A Document in Time: Neil Halstead Of Slowdive's Baker's Dozen|publisher=The Quietus |date=3 May 2017 |access-date=1 September 2024 |last=Clay |first=Joe}}</ref>
The cover illustration features imagery from Rainer Wehinger's [[graphic notation (music)|graphic notation]] for [[György Ligeti]]'s work ''[[Artikulation (Ligeti)|Artikulation]]'' (1958).<ref>{{cite web |title=LIGETI'S INSCRIBED "AURAL SCORE" |url=https://www.foldvaribooks.com/pages/books/182/gyorgy-ligeti-rainer-wehinger/aritikulation-1958-horpartitur-von-rainer-wehinger-elektronische-musik-electronic-musik |website=Foldvari Books |accessdate=27 November 2018}}</ref>


== Reissue ==
==Release==
''Pygmalion'' was released on 6 February 1995 by [[Creation Records]].<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://worldradiohistory.com/UK/Music-Week/1995/Music-Week-1995-02-04.pdf |title=New Releases: Albums |magazine=[[Music Week]] |date=4 February 1995 |access-date=10 May 2021 |pages=34–35}}</ref> The cover illustration for the album, designed by Steven Woodhouse,<ref name="Notes"/> features imagery from Rainer Wehinger's [[graphic notation (music)|graphic notation]] for [[György Ligeti]]'s 1958 work ''[[Artikulation (Ligeti)|Artikulation]]''.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://pitchfork.com/news/pitchfork-and-vinyl-me-please-announce-slowdive-pygmalion-special-edition-reissue/ |title=Pitchfork and Vinyl Me, Please Announce Slowdive ''Pygmalion'' Special Edition Reissue |website=[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]] |date=15 November 2018 |access-date=9 May 2021}}</ref> Though Slowdive had begun preparing for an expected tour of the United Kingdom in support of ''Pygmalion'',<ref name="Watson"/> a week after the album's release Creation dropped Slowdive from its roster, and by the end of the year the band had split.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://pitchfork.com/thepitch/1484-slowdive-on-their-first-album-in-22-years-and-why-shoegaze-came-back/ |title=Slowdive on Their First Album in 22 Years and Why Shoegaze Came Back |website=[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]] |date=10 April 2017 |access-date=10 May 2021 |last=Moreland |first=Quinn}}</ref><ref name="Tyler">{{cite AV media notes |chapter=Slowdive: ''Pygmalion'' |last=Tyler |first=Kieron |title=Pygmalion |others=[[Slowdive]] |publisher=[[Cherry Red Records]] |year=2010 |id=CDBRED 463 |type=liner notes}}</ref>
The album was remastered and reissued on [[Cherry Red Records|Cherry Red]] in 2010, with a bonus disc consisting of demo versions of ''Pygmalion''-era tracks.


The [[Sanctuary Records]] subsidiary label [[Castle Communications|Castle Music]] issued a [[remaster]]ed edition of ''Pygmalion'' in 2005.<ref name="Pitchfork"/><ref>{{cite AV media notes |title=Pygmalion |others=[[Slowdive]] |publisher=[[Castle Communications|Castle Music]] |year=2005 |id=CMQCD 1246 |type=liner notes}}</ref> [[Cherry Red Records]] issued another remastered edition of the album on 16 August 2010, with a bonus disc consisting of demo versions of ''Pygmalion''-era tracks.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://cherryred.co.uk/cherryred/artists/slowdive.php |title=Slowdive |publisher=[[Cherry Red Records]] |access-date=9 May 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101121214251/http://cherryred.co.uk/cherryred/artists/slowdive.php |archive-date=21 November 2010 |url-status=dead}}</ref>
== Reception ==

⚫
{{Album ratings
==Critical reception and legacy==
| AOTY = 89/100<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.albumoftheyear.org/album/8148-slowdive-pygmalion.php|title=Slowdive – Pygmalion – Reviews|accessdate=February 8, 2020}}</ref>
⚫
{{Music ratings
| rev1 = [[AllMusic]]
| rev1 = [[AllMusic]]
| rev1score = {{Rating|4|5}}<ref name=AllMusic>{{cite web |url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/pygmalion-mw0000887091 |title=''Pygmalion'' – Slowdive |publisher=[[AllMusic]] |accessdate=24 January 2016 |last=Abebe |first=Nitsuh}}</ref>
| rev1score = {{Rating|4|5}}<ref name="AllMusic">{{cite web |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/pygmalion-mw0000887091 |title=''Pygmalion'' – Slowdive |publisher=[[AllMusic]] |access-date=24 January 2016 |last=Abebe |first=Nitsuh}}</ref>
| rev2 = ''[[The Guardian]]''
| rev2 = ''[[The Guardian]]''
| rev2score = {{Rating|3|4}}<ref>{{cite news |title=Slowdive: ''Pygmalion'' (Creation) |date=10 February 1995 |work=[[The Guardian]] |last=Sullivan |first=Caroline}}</ref>
| rev2score = {{Rating|3|4}}<ref name="Guardian">{{cite news |title=Slowdive: ''Pygmalion'' (Creation) |newspaper=[[The Guardian]] |date=10 February 1995 |last=Sullivan |first=Caroline}}</ref>
| rev3 = ''[[NME]]''
| rev3 = ''[[Mojo (magazine)|Mojo]]''
| rev3score = 5/10<ref>{{cite magazine |url=http://www.creation-records.com/20-years-of-slowdives-pygmalion/ |title=Slowdive: ''Pygmalion'' (Creation/All formats) |date=4 February 1995 |work=[[NME]] |accessdate=9 August 2019 |last=Harris |first=John |author-link=John Harris (critic)}}</ref>
| rev3score = {{Rating|3|5}}<ref>{{cite magazine |title=Slowdive: ''Pygmalion'' |magazine=[[Mojo (magazine)|Mojo]] |issue=203 |date=October 2010 |last=Harrison |first=Ian}}</ref>
| rev4 = ''[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]]''
| rev4 = ''[[NME]]''
| rev4score = 8.7/10<ref name=Pitchfork>{{cite web |url=http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/11841-just-for-a-day-souvlaki-pygmalion |title=Slowdive: ''Just for a Day'' / ''Souvlaki'' / ''Pygmalion'' |work=[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]] |date=28 November 2005 |accessdate=24 January 2016 |last=Abebe |first=Nitsuh}}</ref>
| rev4score = 5/10<ref name="NME">{{cite magazine |url=https://creation-records.com/2015/02/06/20-years-of-slowdives-pygmalion/ |title=Slowdive: ''Pygmalion'' |magazine=[[NME]] |date=4 February 1995 |access-date=9 August 2019 |last=Harris |first=John |author-link=John Harris (critic) |page=43}}</ref>
| rev5 = ''[[Record Collector]]''
| rev5 = ''[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]]''
| rev5score = {{Rating|5|5}}<ref>{{cite magazine |title=Slowdive: ''Pygmalion'' |work=[[Record Collector]] |page=86 |quote=[A] masterpiece. 'Rutti'{{'}}s chiming, warm guitar and almost ''In a Silent Way''-era Miles Davis-like percussion is just gorgeous...}}</ref>
| rev5score = 8.7/10<ref name="Pitchfork">{{cite web |url=https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/11841-just-for-a-day-souvlaki-pygmalion/ |title=Slowdive: ''Just for a Day'' / ''Souvlaki'' / ''Pygmalion'' |website=[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]] |date=28 November 2005 |access-date=24 January 2016 |last=Abebe |first=Nitsuh}}</ref>
| rev6 = ''[[Q (magazine)|Q]]''
| rev6score = {{Rating|4|5}}<ref name="Q">{{cite magazine |title=Slowdive: ''Pygmalion'' |magazine=[[Q (magazine)|Q]] |issue=102 |date=March 1995 |last=Collins |first=Andrew |author-link=Andrew Collins (broadcaster)}}</ref>
| rev7 = ''[[Record Collector]]''
| rev7score = {{Rating|5|5}}<ref>{{cite magazine |title=Slowdive: ''Just for a Day'' / ''Souvlaki'' / ''Pygmalion'' |magazine=[[Record Collector]] |page=86 |quote=[A] masterpiece. 'Rutti'{{'}}s chiming, warm guitar and almost ''In a Silent Way''-era Miles Davis-like percussion is just gorgeous...}}</ref>
| rev8 = ''[[Select (magazine)|Select]]''
| rev8score = 2/5<ref>{{cite magazine |title=Slowdive: ''Pygmalion'' |magazine=[[Select (magazine)|Select]] |issue=57 |date=March 1995 |last=Grundy |first=Gareth |page=88}}</ref>
| rev9 = [[Sputnikmusic]]
| rev9score = 5/5<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.sputnikmusic.com/review/75316/Slowdive-Pygmalion/ |title=Slowdive – ''Pygmalion'' (album review 2) |publisher=[[Sputnikmusic]] |date=14 November 2017 |access-date=20 August 2022 |author=praise jimmy}}</ref>
| rev10 = ''[[Uncut (magazine)|Uncut]]''
| rev10score = 8/10<ref>{{cite magazine |title=The Road to Everything... |magazine=[[Uncut (magazine)|Uncut]] |issue=317 |date=October 2023 |last=Martin |first=Piers |page=20}}</ref>
}}
}}


''Pygmalion'' was largely overlooked by contemporary music critics, with competing musical trends and the radically different style of the album being main factors according to journalist Kieron Tyler; with the [[Britpop]] genre at the height of its popularity, Slowdive were seen as "past-their-sell-by-date shoegazers" by a music press who were more interested in covering the Britpop scene.<ref name="Tyler"/> For instance, in ''[[Melody Maker]]'', Jonathan Selzer dismissed ''Pygmalion'' as "an insipid attempt at prettiness".<ref>{{cite magazine |title=Slowdive: ''Pygmallion'' |magazine=[[Melody Maker]] |date=4 February 1995 |last=Selzer |first=Jonathan |page=35}}</ref> [[John Harris (critic)|John Harris]] wrote in ''[[NME]]'' that the album represented a seeming act of "career suicide" by the band, for whom he composed a mock epitaph: "Slowdive{{nbsp}}... They could have had the world, but they decided to go all skeletal and wibbly and make sneakingly fascinating records that will sell absolutely fart all."<ref name="NME"/> However, ''[[Q (magazine)|Q]]''{{'}}s [[Andrew Collins (broadcaster)|Andrew Collins]] was positive and enthusiastic, saying that the album "basks splendidly in its own sod-you resonant shapelessness."<ref name="Q"/> Caroline Sullivan of ''[[The Guardian]]'' was intrigued by the album's sound and quipped that it "should spark many a philosophy debate—after all, if music is this minimal, can it be said to exist at all?"<ref name="Guardian"/>
''Pygmalion'' has been well-received by critics. [[AllMusic]] called it "a stylistic masterpiece",<ref name="AllMusic"/> while [[BBC Music]] echoed similar sentiments, writing that ''Pygmalion'' "remains Halstead and Goswell's masterpiece" and comparing it to the [[ambient music|ambient]] work of [[Brian Eno]].<ref name="BBC Music">{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/music/reviews/mvfd |title=Review of Slowdive – ''Pygmalion'' |date=2010 |website=[[BBC Music]] |accessdate=8 May 2016 |last=Wallace |first=Wyndham}}</ref> ''[[Head Heritage]]'' wrote that with the album, "Slowdive distilled the expansive aural atmospheres of ''Souvlaki'' to perfection."<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.headheritage.co.uk/unsung/review/1965/ |title=Slowdive – ''Pygmalion'' |date=20 December 2008 |website=[[Head Heritage]] |accessdate=15 August 2016 |last=Phimister |first=Rust}}</ref>


In a retrospective review for ''Pitchfork'' in 2005, Nitsuh Abebe called ''Pygmalion'' "a detour of the best sort",<ref name="Pitchfork"/> and in a separate appraisal for [[AllMusic]], Abebe stated that "for anyone who appreciates the indirect and intangible, it's a stylistic masterpiece."<ref name="AllMusic"/> In his review for BBC Music, Wyndham Wallace wrote that ''Pygmalion'' "remains Halstead and Goswell's masterpiece",<ref name="BBC"/> while ''[[Head Heritage]]'' writer Rust Phimister said that with the album, "Slowdive distilled the expansive aural atmospheres of ''Souvlaki'' to perfection."<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.headheritage.co.uk/unsung/review/1965/ |title=Slowdive – ''Pygmalion'' |website=[[Head Heritage]] |date=20 December 2008 |access-date=15 August 2016 |last=Phimister |first=Rust}}</ref> ''[[Trouser Press]]'', however, found that ''Pygmalion'' "completely lacks all the tension, songwriting, sounds and power of the band's work, leaving only the spatial dimensions", deeming it "essentially a solo ambient recording" by Halstead "that should have been released under his own name".<ref>{{cite web |url=https://trouserpress.com/reviews/slowdive |title=Slowdive |website=[[Trouser Press]] |access-date=10 June 2016 |last1=Rabid |first1=Jack |last2=Neate |first2=Wilson}}</ref>
''[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]]'' noted the change in style, describing the album's tracks as "ambient pop dreams that have more in common with post-rock like [[Disco Inferno (band)|Disco Inferno]] than shoegazers like [[Ride (band)|Ride]]".<ref name=Pitchfork/>


⚫
The ''Pygmalion'' song "Blue Skied an' Clear" was featured in the 1995 film ''[[The Doom Generation]]''; [[Gregg Araki]], the film's director, is an avowed fan of Slowdive.<ref name="Tyler"/>
A negative review came from ''[[Trouser Press]]'', which wrote that the album "completely lacks all the tension, songwriting, sounds and power of the band's work, leaving only the spatial dimensions", calling it "essentially a solo ambient recording by singer/guitarist Neil Halstead that should have been released under his own name".<ref name="Trouser Press">{{cite web |url=http://www.trouserpress.com/entry.php?a=slowdive |title=TrouserPress.com :: Slowdive |last1=Rabid |first1=Jack |last2=Neate |first2=Wilson |website=[[Trouser Press|TrouserPress.com]] |accessdate=10 June 2016}}</ref>


⚫
In 1999, critic Ned Raggett ranked ''Pygmalion'' at number 122 on his list of the best albums of the 1990s for ''[[Freaky Trigger]]''.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.netcomuk.co.uk/~tewing/ned/nedmain.html |title=The Top 136 Or So Albums Of The Nineties |website=[[Freaky Trigger]] |access-date=28 September 2011 |last=Raggett |first=Ned |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20000120192755/http://www.netcomuk.co.uk/~tewing/ned/nedmain.html |archive-date=20 January 2000 |url-status=dead}}</ref> In 2016, ''Pitchfork'' listed it as the 12th best shoegaze album of all time.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://pitchfork.com/features/lists-and-guides/9966-the-50-best-shoegaze-albums-of-all-time/ |title=The 50 Best Shoegaze Albums of All Time |website=[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]] |date=24 October 2016 |access-date=21 January 2018}}</ref> ''Pitchfork'' described ''Pygmalion'' as a "post-rock masterpiece" in a 2018 article that included quotes from several musicians professing appreciation for the record, including members of [[Low (band)|Low]], [[The Twilight Sad]], [[Deafheaven]], [[Múm]], [[A Place to Bury Strangers]], [[Survive (band)|Survive]], and [[Girlpool]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://pitchfork.com/features/article/why-slowdives-post-rock-masterpiece-pygmalion-still-matters/ |title=Why Slowdive's Post-Rock Masterpiece ''Pygmalion'' Still Matters |website=[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]] |date=6 December 2018 |access-date=9 May 2021 |last1=Hogan |first1=Marc |author1-link=Marc Hogan |last2=Moreland |first2=Quinn}}</ref>
== Legacy ==
⚫
The song "Blue Skied an' Clear" was featured on the soundtrack of the 1995 film ''[[The Doom Generation]]''.

⚫
In 1999, critic Ned Raggett ranked ''Pygmalion'' at number 122 on his list of "The Top 136 or So Albums of the Nineties" for ''[[Freaky Trigger]]''.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.netcomuk.co.uk/~tewing/ned/nedmain.html |title=The Top 136 or So Albums of the Nineties |work=[[Freaky Trigger]] |accessdate=28 September 2011 |last=Raggett |first=Ned |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20000120192755/http://www.netcomuk.co.uk/~tewing/ned/nedmain.html |archive-date=20 January 2000}}</ref> In 2016, ''[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]]'' placed it at number 12 on its list of "The 50 Best Shoegaze Albums of All Time".<ref>{{cite web |url=https://pitchfork.com/features/lists-and-guides/9966-the-50-best-shoegaze-albums-of-all-time/?page=4 |title=The 50 Best Shoegaze Albums of All Time |work=[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]] |date=24 October 2016 |accessdate=21 January 2018 |page=4}}</ref>


==Track listing==
==Track listing==
{{Track listing
{{Track listing
|all_writing = [[Neil Halstead]], except where noted
| all_writing = [[Neil Halstead]], except where noted
|title1 = Rutti
| title1 = Rutti
|length1 = 10:06
| length1 = 10:02
|title2 = Crazy for You
| title2 = Crazy for You
|length2 = 6:00
| length2 = 6:00
|title3 = Miranda
| title3 = Miranda
|writer3 = {{hlist|Halstead|[[Rachel Goswell]]}}
| writer3 = {{hlist|Halstead|[[Rachel Goswell]]}}
|length3 = 4:49
| length3 = 4:48
|title4 = Trellisaze
| title4 = Trellisaze
|length4 = 6:21
| length4 = 6:18
|title5 = Cello
| title5 = Cello
|length5 = 1:33
| length5 = 1:33
|title6 = J's Heaven
| title6 = J's Heaven
|length6 = 6:45
| length6 = 6:47
|title7 = Visions of LA
| title7 = Visions of LA
|writer7 = {{hlist|Halstead|Goswell}}
| writer7 = {{hlist|Halstead|Goswell}}
|length7 = 1:46
| length7 = 1:43
|title8 = Blue Skied an' Clear
| title8 = Blue Skied an' Clear
|length8 = 6:54
| length8 = 6:52
|title9 = All of Us
| title9 = All of Us
|length9 = 4:09
| length9 = 4:08
|total_length = 48:23
| total_length = 48:11
}}
}}
{{track listing
{{Track listing
⚫
| headline = 2010 reissue bonus disc (''Pygmalion Demos'')
|collapsed = yes
⚫
| title1 = Miranda
⚫
|headline = 2010 reissue bonus disc (''Pygmalion Demos'')
| writer1 = {{hlist|Halstead|Goswell}}
⚫
|title1 = Miranda
|length1 = 3:49
| length1 = 3:46
|title2 = Watch Me
| title2 = Watch Me
|length2 = 3:48
| length2 = 3:45
|title3 = Yesterday
| title3 = Yesterday
|length3 = 4:23
| length3 = 4:20
|title4 = To Watch
| title4 = To Watch
|length4 = 5:55
| length4 = 5:52
|title5 = Option One (Instrumental #1)
| title5 = Option One (Instrumental #1)
|length5 = 3:53
| length5 = 3:50
|title6 = Cargo
| title6 = Cargo
|length6 = 4:27
| length6 = 4:24
|title7 = Sinewaves
| title7 = Sinewaves
|length7 = 5:15
| length7 = 5:12
|title8 = Ambient Guitar
| title8 = Ambient Guitar
|length8 = 5:50
| length8 = 5:47
|title9 = Crazy for You
| title9 = Crazy for You
|note9 = Alt. Version
| note9 = alt. version
|length9 = 4:40
| length9 = 4:37
|title10 = Prautrock
| title10 = Prautrock
|length10 = 5:08
| length10 = 5:05
|title11 = Changes
| title11 = Changes
|length11 = 4:54
| length11 = 4:51
|title12 = Red Five
| title12 = Red Five
|length12 = 6:07
| length12 = 6:07
|total_length = 58:09
| total_length = 57:36
}}
}}


== Personnel ==
==Personnel==
Credits are adapted from the album's liner notes.<ref name="Notes">{{cite AV media notes |title=Pygmalion |others=[[Slowdive]] |publisher=[[Creation Records]] |year=1995 |id=crecd 168 |type=liner notes}}</ref>

'''Slowdive'''
'''Slowdive'''
*[[Neil Halstead]] – vocals, guitar, [[record producer|production]]
* [[Rachel Goswell]] – vocals, guitar
*[[Rachel Goswell]] – vocals, guitar, production
* [[Neil Halstead]] – vocals, guitar
*Christian Savill – guitar, production
* Christian Savill – guitar
*Nick Chaplin – bass guitar, production
* Nick Chaplin – bass guitar
*Ian McCutcheon – drums, production
* Ian McCutcheon – drums


'''Additional personnel'''
'''Production'''
*[[Chris Hufford]] – [[Audio engineering|engineering]], production
* [[Chris Hufford]] – [[record producer|production]], [[audio engineer|engineering]]
* Slowdive – production, engineering


'''Design'''
⚫
== Charts ==
* Steven Woodhouse – cover illustration
⚫
{|class="wikitable plainrowheaders sortable"

⚫
==Charts==
⚫
{|class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;" border="1"
⚫
!scope="col"| Chart (1995)
⚫
!scope="col"| Peak<br />position
|-
|-
⚫
{{Album chart|UK2|108|M|url=http://www.zobbel.de/cluk/CLUK_S.HTM|title=Chart Log UK: DJ S – The System Of Life|publisher=Zobbel.de|access-date=9 August 2019|rowheader=true}}
⚫
!scope="col"|Chart (1995)
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!scope="col"|Peak<br>position
|-
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!scope="row"| [[UK Independent Singles and Albums Charts|UK Independent Albums]] ([[Official Charts Company|OCC]])<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://worldradiohistory.com/UK/Music-Week/1995/Music-Week-1995-02-25.pdf |title=Independent Albums |magazine=[[Music Week]] |date=25 February 1995 |access-date=28 May 2021 |page=28}}</ref>
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{{albumchart|UK2|108|M|url=http://www.zobbel.de/cluk/CLUK_S.HTM|title=Chart Log UK: DJ S – The System Of Life|publisher=Zobbel.de|accessdate=9 August 2019|rowheader=true}}
| 7
|}
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== References ==
==References==
{{reflist|2}}
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* {{Discogs master|9482|Pygmalion}}
* {{MusicBrainz release group|mbid=e73fd320-edb5-33f3-95cc-e259f63a0082|name=Pygmalion}}


{{Slowdive}}
{{Slowdive}}

{{Authority control}}


[[Category:1995 albums]]
[[Category:1995 albums]]
[[Category:Slowdive albums]]
[[Category:Slowdive albums]]
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[[Category:Post-rock albums by English artists]]
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[[Category:Ambient albums by English artists]]
[[Category:Creation Records albums]]
[[Category:Creation Records albums]]
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[[Category:Ambient albums by English artists]]
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[[Category:Post-rock albums by English artists]]

Latest revision as of 01:27, 3 September 2024

Pygmalion
Studio album by
Slowdive
Released6 February 1995 (1995-02-06)
StudioCourtyard (Sutton Courtenay)
Genre
Length48:11
LabelCreation
Producer
Slowdive chronology
5
(1993) 		Pygmalion
(1995) 		Catch the Breeze
(2004)
Slowdive studio album chronology
Souvlaki
(1993) 		Pygmalion
(1995) 		Slowdive
(2017)

Pygmalion is the third studio album by English rock band Slowdive, released on 6 February 1995 by Creation Records. It was the group's final album before their disbandment in 1995 and later reformation in 2014, and their only album with Ian McCutcheon, who had replaced Simon Scott on drums.

Composition

[edit]

Pygmalion is a significant departure from the shoegaze style that Slowdive had established in their previous two studio albums, Just for a Day (1991) and Souvlaki (1993). The album features a more experimental sound tilted towards ambient electronic music,[3] with sparse, atmospheric arrangements. Pitchfork's Nitsuh Abebe described the album's songs as "ambient pop dreams" that are stylistically closer to post-rock, in the then-contemporary first wave of the genre, than the band's trademark style.[2] Regardless, BBC Music writer Wyndham Wallace still viewed Pygmalion as a shoegaze album, although not in the conventional sense of the style, noting that at points the album forgoes conventional percussion, or percussion in general, entirely.[3]

With the exception of the lyrics for the songs "Miranda" and "Visions of LA", which were written by Rachel Goswell, Pygmalion was composed by Neil Halstead.[4] Several songs on the album reflect Halstead's experimentation with digital technology and techniques such as looping and reverb. This was born out of his then-increasing fascination with electronica and dance music,[5] which he had been introduced to in 1992 by ex-Seefeel member Mark Van Hoen, who had played Aphex Twin's Selected Ambient Works 85-92 for Halstead.[6]

Release

[edit]

Pygmalion was released on 6 February 1995 by Creation Records.[7] The cover illustration for the album, designed by Steven Woodhouse,[4] features imagery from Rainer Wehinger's graphic notation for György Ligeti's 1958 work Artikulation.[8] Though Slowdive had begun preparing for an expected tour of the United Kingdom in support of Pygmalion,[5] a week after the album's release Creation dropped Slowdive from its roster, and by the end of the year the band had split.[9][10]

The Sanctuary Records subsidiary label Castle Music issued a remastered edition of Pygmalion in 2005.[2][11] Cherry Red Records issued another remastered edition of the album on 16 August 2010, with a bonus disc consisting of demo versions of Pygmalion-era tracks.[12]

Critical reception and legacy

[edit]
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[13]
The Guardian[14]
Mojo[15]
NME5/10[16]
Pitchfork8.7/10[2]
Q[17]
Record Collector[18]
Select2/5[19]
Sputnikmusic5/5[20]
Uncut8/10[21]

Pygmalion was largely overlooked by contemporary music critics, with competing musical trends and the radically different style of the album being main factors according to journalist Kieron Tyler; with the Britpop genre at the height of its popularity, Slowdive were seen as "past-their-sell-by-date shoegazers" by a music press who were more interested in covering the Britpop scene.[10] For instance, in Melody Maker, Jonathan Selzer dismissed Pygmalion as "an insipid attempt at prettiness".[22] John Harris wrote in NME that the album represented a seeming act of "career suicide" by the band, for whom he composed a mock epitaph: "Slowdive ... They could have had the world, but they decided to go all skeletal and wibbly and make sneakingly fascinating records that will sell absolutely fart all."[16] However, Q's Andrew Collins was positive and enthusiastic, saying that the album "basks splendidly in its own sod-you resonant shapelessness."[17] Caroline Sullivan of The Guardian was intrigued by the album's sound and quipped that it "should spark many a philosophy debate—after all, if music is this minimal, can it be said to exist at all?"[14]

In a retrospective review for Pitchfork in 2005, Nitsuh Abebe called Pygmalion "a detour of the best sort",[2] and in a separate appraisal for AllMusic, Abebe stated that "for anyone who appreciates the indirect and intangible, it's a stylistic masterpiece."[13] In his review for BBC Music, Wyndham Wallace wrote that Pygmalion "remains Halstead and Goswell's masterpiece",[3] while Head Heritage writer Rust Phimister said that with the album, "Slowdive distilled the expansive aural atmospheres of Souvlaki to perfection."[23] Trouser Press, however, found that Pygmalion "completely lacks all the tension, songwriting, sounds and power of the band's work, leaving only the spatial dimensions", deeming it "essentially a solo ambient recording" by Halstead "that should have been released under his own name".[24]

The Pygmalion song "Blue Skied an' Clear" was featured in the 1995 film The Doom Generation; Gregg Araki, the film's director, is an avowed fan of Slowdive.[10]

In 1999, critic Ned Raggett ranked Pygmalion at number 122 on his list of the best albums of the 1990s for Freaky Trigger.[25] In 2016, Pitchfork listed it as the 12th best shoegaze album of all time.[26] Pitchfork described Pygmalion as a "post-rock masterpiece" in a 2018 article that included quotes from several musicians professing appreciation for the record, including members of Low, The Twilight Sad, Deafheaven, Múm, A Place to Bury Strangers, Survive, and Girlpool.[27]

Track listing

[edit]

All tracks are written by Neil Halstead, except where noted

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Rutti" 10:02
2."Crazy for You" 6:00
3."Miranda"
4:48
4."Trellisaze" 6:18
5."Cello" 1:33
6."J's Heaven" 6:47
7."Visions of LA"
  • Halstead
  • Goswell
1:43
8."Blue Skied an' Clear" 6:52
9."All of Us" 4:08
Total length:48:11
2010 reissue bonus disc (Pygmalion Demos)
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Miranda"
  • Halstead
  • Goswell
3:46
2."Watch Me" 3:45
3."Yesterday" 4:20
4."To Watch" 5:52
5."Option One (Instrumental #1)" 3:50
6."Cargo" 4:24
7."Sinewaves" 5:12
8."Ambient Guitar" 5:47
9."Crazy for You" (alt. version) 4:37
10."Prautrock" 5:05
11."Changes" 4:51
12."Red Five" 6:07
Total length:57:36

Personnel

[edit]

Credits are adapted from the album's liner notes.[4]

Slowdive

  • Rachel Goswell – vocals, guitar
  • Neil Halstead – vocals, guitar
  • Christian Savill – guitar
  • Nick Chaplin – bass guitar
  • Ian McCutcheon – drums

Production

Design

  • Steven Woodhouse – cover illustration

Charts

[edit]
Chart (1995) Peak
position
UK Albums (OCC)[28] 108
UK Independent Albums (OCC)[29] 7

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Korber, Kevin (6 August 2015). "Holy Hell! Pygmalion Turns 20". Spectrum Culture. Retrieved 10 July 2017.
  2. ^ a b c d e f Abebe, Nitsuh (28 November 2005). "Slowdive: Just for a Day / Souvlaki / Pygmalion". Pitchfork. Retrieved 24 January 2016.
  3. ^ a b c d e Wallace, Wyndham (9 August 2010). "Slowdive Pygmalion Review". BBC Music. Retrieved 8 May 2016.
  4. ^ a b c Pygmalion (liner notes). Slowdive. Creation Records. 1995. crecd 168.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  5. ^ a b Watson, Ian (2005). "Slowdive: Pygmalion". Pygmalion (liner notes). Slowdive. Castle Music. CMQCD 1246. Retrieved 10 May 2021.
  6. ^ Clay, Joe (3 May 2017). "A Document in Time: Neil Halstead Of Slowdive's Baker's Dozen". The Quietus. Retrieved 1 September 2024.
  7. ^ "New Releases: Albums" (PDF). Music Week. 4 February 1995. pp. 34–35. Retrieved 10 May 2021.
  8. ^ "Pitchfork and Vinyl Me, Please Announce Slowdive Pygmalion Special Edition Reissue". Pitchfork. 15 November 2018. Retrieved 9 May 2021.
  9. ^ Moreland, Quinn (10 April 2017). "Slowdive on Their First Album in 22 Years and Why Shoegaze Came Back". Pitchfork. Retrieved 10 May 2021.
  10. ^ a b c Tyler, Kieron (2010). "Slowdive: Pygmalion". Pygmalion (liner notes). Slowdive. Cherry Red Records. CDBRED 463.
  11. ^ Pygmalion (liner notes). Slowdive. Castle Music. 2005. CMQCD 1246.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  12. ^ "Slowdive". Cherry Red Records. Archived from the original on 21 November 2010. Retrieved 9 May 2021.
  13. ^ a b Abebe, Nitsuh. "Pygmalion – Slowdive". AllMusic. Retrieved 24 January 2016.
  14. ^ a b Sullivan, Caroline (10 February 1995). "Slowdive: Pygmalion (Creation)". The Guardian.
  15. ^ Harrison, Ian (October 2010). "Slowdive: Pygmalion". Mojo. No. 203.
  16. ^ a b Harris, John (4 February 1995). "Slowdive: Pygmalion". NME. p. 43. Retrieved 9 August 2019.
  17. ^ a b Collins, Andrew (March 1995). "Slowdive: Pygmalion". Q. No. 102.
  18. ^ "Slowdive: Just for a Day / Souvlaki / Pygmalion". Record Collector. p. 86. [A] masterpiece. 'Rutti''s chiming, warm guitar and almost In a Silent Way-era Miles Davis-like percussion is just gorgeous...
  19. ^ Grundy, Gareth (March 1995). "Slowdive: Pygmalion". Select. No. 57. p. 88.
  20. ^ praise jimmy (14 November 2017). "Slowdive – Pygmalion (album review 2)". Sputnikmusic. Retrieved 20 August 2022.
  21. ^ Martin, Piers (October 2023). "The Road to Everything...". Uncut. No. 317. p. 20.
  22. ^ Selzer, Jonathan (4 February 1995). "Slowdive: Pygmallion". Melody Maker. p. 35.
  23. ^ Phimister, Rust (20 December 2008). "Slowdive – Pygmalion". Head Heritage. Retrieved 15 August 2016.
  24. ^ Rabid, Jack; Neate, Wilson. "Slowdive". Trouser Press. Retrieved 10 June 2016.
  25. ^ Raggett, Ned. "The Top 136 Or So Albums Of The Nineties". Freaky Trigger. Archived from the original on 20 January 2000. Retrieved 28 September 2011.
  26. ^ "The 50 Best Shoegaze Albums of All Time". Pitchfork. 24 October 2016. Retrieved 21 January 2018.
  27. ^ Hogan, Marc; Moreland, Quinn (6 December 2018). "Why Slowdive's Post-Rock Masterpiece Pygmalion Still Matters". Pitchfork. Retrieved 9 May 2021.
  28. ^ "Chart Log UK: DJ S – The System Of Life". Zobbel.de. Retrieved 9 August 2019.
  29. ^ "Independent Albums" (PDF). Music Week. 25 February 1995. p. 28. Retrieved 28 May 2021.
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