Ever since the lovely climax of "Catch the Breeze" on 1991's Just for a Day, Slowdive has been one of my favorite bands. Their combination of swirling, atmospheric guitars, lovely vocal harmonies, and melancholy ambience was just the thing I needed on rainy days (or any day, for that matter). Their first two albums, Just for a Day and Souvlaki, are often heralded as perfect examples of that ambiguous style of music called "shoegaze," bridging the gap between the Cocteau Twins' angelic soundscapes and My Bloody Valentine's exquisite wall of noise.
Pygmalion, on the other hand, takes a more experimental route. Whereas those first two albums conjured up the ambience of flowered fields, rainy days, and starry skies, Pygmalion conjures up the ambience of abandoned factories and empty rooms. But what makes it so compelling is that Slowdive's music has lost none of its warmth, even in these distant compositions; it's just taken a different turn.
The 10-minute-long "Rutti" opens up the album. Minimalist guitar and lazy vocals float throughout the track and are eventually joined by the bass and all sorts of percussion, before fading out again. "Crazy for You" hints at the classic Slowdive sound, with a single guitar melody repeated amidst spiraling feedback and sounds; Neil Halstead repeats a single mantra-like phrase ("Crazy for love") over and over, hypnotizing the listener.
The next two songs, "Miranda" and "Trellisaze," are two of the album's most experimental songs. Both feature minimal guitars played over and over again, with heavily reverbed and echoed vocals, so much so that you can hardly understand them. Strange, otherworldly noises float in the background, kind of like a cross between satellite transmissions, background cosmic noise, and dripping faucets.
"Cello" is, well, a cello. This is one of the album's most beautiful songs, a masterpiece of melancholic subtlety; the song is beautiful and haunting with the cello slowly gliding out of nowhere. Unfortunately, at just under two minutes, it's much too short; I wish this piece was much, much longer. "J's Heaven" returns to the experimental vibe, with minimal guitars that slowly build on each other for a very nice and subtle effect.
"Visions of La" is another haunting, yet short tune. Rachel Goswell's voice is lovely as always and is perfectly accented by the rising and falling guitar. Like "Crazy for You," "Blue Skied an' Clear" hints at the classic Slowdive style, yet goes far beyond it. The song starts off very gently, almost lounge-like, with heavily reverbed guitars. The vocals, as on so many songs on the album, are also reverbed but not so much they're incomprehensible. The song slowly builds up to a spiraling climax of feedback and guitars that slowly melt into Goswell's gorgeous voice.
Pygmalion ends with one of the most intimate and beautiful songs that Slowdive has ever performed. "All of Us" is simply Halstead singing, acoustic guitar, and that cello. The song just tugs at my heart when I hear it; the mood is of pure loneliness and longing. Again, the ambience of an empty room.
I'm sorry if you got bored reading this review. You're probably thinking "Geez, why'd he have to make such sappy comments about every song?!?" Well, that's just how good Pygmalion is. I love this album. It is a challenging work, but at the same time, more rewarding than any of their other albums. I love listening to this album at my job; it's mellow and un-intrusive enough to let me work, yet not so much so that I get bored to tears. It's also a perfect album to listen to either passively or actively; either way, I get something enjoyable out of it.
That said, I do have one complaint. From what I've read, Mojave 3 probably won't write any material like this. Pygmalion was Slowdive's swan song, and a gorgeous one at that.
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