Pygmalion

The masterful shoegaze group Slowdive departs from its wall-of-sound approach for its third and final studio album. For Pygmalion, the band strips the sound down to its studs, creating sparse atmospheres that allow for great contemplation. The 10-minute opening masterwork "Rutti" brings Neil Halstead's warm and imagistic vocals to the forefront. "Crazy for You" turns up the ambience, with samples and loops that create a shimmering (but austere for Slowdive) façade; this is further explored with the abstract "Trellisaze" and the subtle tone poems "Cello" and "J's Heaven." "Miranda" brings Rachel Goswell up in the mix, as she provides indecipherable lyrics and ghostly vocals, while "Visions of La" sets her down in the parlor for a brief acoustic number. The songs often feel like faint sketches, as if the ground could give way under them. "Blue Skied An' Clear" starts as a simple acoustic number before an intergalactic transmission opens up the heavens. After this, Halstead and Goswell formed the country-influenced Mojave 3.