Pygmalion (album): Difference between revisions
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''Pygmalion'' was largely overlooked by contemporary music critics.<ref name="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, according to journalist Kieron Tyler.<ref name="Tyler"/> ''[[NME]]'' critic [[John Harris (critic)|John Harris]] wrote that ''Pygmalion'' 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."<ref name="NME"/> More enthusiastic was ''[[Q (magazine)|Q]]''{{'}}s [[Andrew Collins (broadcaster)|Andrew Collins]], who said that "''Pygmalion'' 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 |
''Pygmalion'' was largely overlooked by contemporary music critics.<ref name="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, according to journalist Kieron Tyler.<ref name="Tyler"/> ''[[NME]]'' critic [[John Harris (critic)|John Harris]] wrote that ''Pygmalion'' 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."<ref name="NME"/> More enthusiastic was ''[[Q (magazine)|Q]]''{{'}}s [[Andrew Collins (broadcaster)|Andrew Collins]], who said that "''Pygmalion'' 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"/> |
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In a retrospective review for ''Pitchfork'', Nitsuh Abebe called ''Pygmalion'' "a detour of the best sort",<ref name="Pitchfork"/> while in a separate appraisal for [[AllMusic]], Abebe said 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> |
In a retrospective review for ''Pitchfork'', Nitsuh Abebe called ''Pygmalion'' "a detour of the best sort",<ref name="Pitchfork"/> while in a separate appraisal for [[AllMusic]], Abebe said 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> |
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Revision as of 03:21, 23 June 2021
| Pygmalion | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 6 February 1995 | |||
| Studio | Courtyard (Sutton Courtenay) | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 48:11 | |||
| Label | Creation | |||
| Producer |
| |||
| Slowdive chronology | ||||
| ||||
Pygmalion is the third studio album by English rock band Slowdive, released on 6 February 1995 by Creation Records. It was the final Slowdive album to be released before the band went on a hiatus in 1995, and their only album with Ian McCutcheon, who had replaced Simon Scott on drums.
Composition
A departure from Slowdive's previous two studio albums Just for a Day (1991) and Souvlaki (1993), Pygmalion features a more experimental sound tilted towards ambient electronic music,[1] with sparse, atmospheric arrangements. Pitchfork's Nitsuh Abebe described the album's songs as "ambient pop dreams" that are stylistically closer to post-rock than the band's trademark shoegaze style.[2] BBC Music writer Wyndham Wallace viewed Pygmalion as a shoegaze album, albeit not in the traditional sense, noting that at points the record forgoes percussion "entirely".[1]
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.[3] The music on the album reflected Halstead's experimentation with digital technology and techniques such as looping, which was born out of his increased fascination with dance music.[4]
Release
Pygmalion was released on 6 February 1995 by Creation Records.[5] The cover illustration for the album, designed by Steven Woodhouse,[3] features imagery from Rainer Wehinger's graphic notation for György Ligeti's 1958 work Artikulation.[6] Though Slowdive had begun preparing for an expected tour of the United Kingdom in support of Pygmalion,[4] a week after the album's release Creation dropped Slowdive from its roster—an event which hastened the demise of the band, who would split by the end of the year.[7][8]
The Sanctuary Records subsidiary label Castle Music issued a remastered edition of Pygmalion in 2005.[2][9] 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.[10]
Critical reception and legacy
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [11] |
| The Guardian | [12] |
| NME | 5/10[13] |
| Pitchfork | 8.7/10[2] |
| Q | [14] |
| Record Collector | [15] |
Pygmalion was largely overlooked by contemporary music critics.[8] 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, according to journalist Kieron Tyler.[8] NME critic John Harris wrote that Pygmalion 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."[13] More enthusiastic was Q's Andrew Collins, who said that "Pygmalion basks splendidly in its own sod-you resonant shapelessness."[14] 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?"[12]
In a retrospective review for Pitchfork, Nitsuh Abebe called Pygmalion "a detour of the best sort",[2] while in a separate appraisal for AllMusic, Abebe said that "for anyone who appreciates the indirect and intangible, it's a stylistic masterpiece."[11] In his review for BBC Music, Wyndham Wallace wrote that Pygmalion "remains Halstead and Goswell's masterpiece",[1] while Head Heritage writer Rust Phimister said that with the album, "Slowdive distilled the expansive aural atmospheres of Souvlaki to perfection."[16] 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".[17]
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.[8]
In 1999, critic Ned Raggett ranked Pygmalion at number 122 on his list of the best albums of the 1990s for Freaky Trigger.[18] In 2016, Pitchfork listed it as the 12th best shoegaze album of all time.[19] 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.[20]
Track listing
All tracks are written by Neil Halstead, except where noted
| No. | Title | Writer(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" |
| 1:43 |
| 8. | "Blue Skied an' Clear" | 6:52 | |
| 9. | "All of Us" | 4:08 | |
| Total length: | 48:11 | ||
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Miranda" |
| 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
Credits are adapted from the album's liner notes.[3]
Slowdive
- Rachel Goswell – vocals, guitar
- Neil Halstead – vocals, guitar
- Christian Savill – guitar
- Nick Chaplin – bass guitar
- Ian McCutcheon – drums
Production
- Chris Hufford – production, engineering
- Slowdive – production, engineering
Design
- Steven Woodhouse – cover illustration
Charts
| Chart (1995) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK Albums (OCC)[21] | 108 |
| UK Independent Albums (OCC)[22] | 7 |
References
- ^ a b c Wallace, Wyndham (9 August 2010). "Slowdive Pygmalion Review". BBC Music. Retrieved 8 May 2016.
- ^ a b c d Abebe, Nitsuh (28 November 2005). "Slowdive: Just for a Day / Souvlaki / Pygmalion". Pitchfork. Retrieved 24 January 2016.
- ^ 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) - ^ a b Watson, Ian (2005). "Slowdive: Pygmalion". Pygmalion (liner notes). Slowdive. Castle Music. CMQCD 1246. Retrieved 10 May 2021.
- ^ "New Releases: Albums" (PDF). Music Week. 4 February 1995. pp. 34–35. Retrieved 10 May 2021.
- ^ "Pitchfork and Vinyl Me, Please Announce Slowdive Pygmalion Special Edition Reissue". Pitchfork. 15 November 2018. Retrieved 9 May 2021.
- ^ Moreland, Quinn (10 April 2017). "Slowdive on Their First Album in 22 Years and Why Shoegaze Came Back". Pitchfork. Retrieved 10 May 2021.
- ^ a b c d Tyler, Kieron (2010). "Slowdive: Pygmalion". Pygmalion (liner notes). Slowdive. Cherry Red Records. CDBRED 463.
- ^ Pygmalion (liner notes). Slowdive. Castle Music. 2005. CMQCD 1246.
{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) - ^ "Slowdive". Cherry Red Records. Archived from the original on 21 November 2010. Retrieved 9 May 2021.
- ^ a b Abebe, Nitsuh. "Pygmalion – Slowdive". AllMusic. Retrieved 24 January 2016.
- ^ a b Sullivan, Caroline (10 February 1995). "Slowdive: Pygmalion (Creation)". The Guardian.
- ^ a b Harris, John (4 February 1995). "Slowdive: Pygmalion". NME. Retrieved 9 August 2019.
- ^ a b Collins, Andrew (1995). "Slowdive: Pygmalion". Q.
- ^ "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...
- ^ Phimister, Rust (20 December 2008). "Slowdive – Pygmalion". Head Heritage. Retrieved 15 August 2016.
- ^ Rabid, Jack; Neate, Wilson. "Slowdive". Trouser Press. Retrieved 10 June 2016.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "The 50 Best Shoegaze Albums of All Time". Pitchfork. 24 October 2016. p. 4. Retrieved 21 January 2018.
- ^ Hogan, Marc; Moreland, Quinn (6 December 2018). "Why Slowdive's Post-Rock Masterpiece Pygmalion Still Matters". Pitchfork. Retrieved 9 May 2021.
- ^ "Chart Log UK: DJ S – The System Of Life". Zobbel.de. Retrieved 9 August 2019.
- ^ "Independent Albums" (PDF). Music Week. 25 February 1995. p. 28. Retrieved 28 May 2021.
External links
- Pygmalion at Discogs (list of releases)
- Pygmalion at MusicBrainz (list of releases)
