It’s interesting listening back to music you have made in the past. interview to rachel goswell from slowdive - pygmalion (1995) by Diego Centurión translation: marcelo simonetti
First I want to thank for the time you take to answer the questions. We have a section for the anniversary of the albums that we like, reviewing them through time or (as in this case) interviewing people involved in the album. But we cannot live in the past, so we will also ask you about Sowdive’s present and future too. Anyway, we will focus the interview in
Pygmalion’s 20th anniversary, Slowdive’s third album
1995. How did the band get to the composition of this album? As we can hear it, the band wanted a change. Less shoegaze and more atmosphere in it. Neil was listening to a lot of ambient and The 13th 2
techno music at the time and Pygmalion really I have heard some concerts and chemistry is born out of that. is intact. How are you taking this reunion, will there be a new album? This work marks a change in the treatment We had an absolute blast year and have all of spatiality, regard to sound. Is it that the really enjoyed it so far. It has already gone band tried to sound more ambient, more way past our expectations. We are certainly ethereal? Which was the aim, perhaps to working on new material now and hope this sound more soundscape? will result in a new album. By the time Pygmalion was recorded we weren’t really a fully functioning band to What do you think about Pygmalion’s sound be honest. A lot of this record was down to twenty years later? My personal opinion is Neil’s vision. I added vocals in various places that it seems to have been recently recorded. and was present during the recording process. I think it stands up really well generally and still has good relevance. I am proud to have Do you remember how it was the been a part of the process. songwriting process? Have you and Neil written all material separately? Shoegaze and the dream pop is back since a There is only one song that was the cowrite I couple of years ago, with new bands rescuing wrote the vocal melody and lyrics. Neil had these 80s and 90s sounds. How do you see already written the music for that song. this revival? I think generally with music everything is Do you hear your earlier works? How long cyclical? There are some great bands that have since you hear Pygmalion from beginning been influenced by shoegaze. Dream pop I to end for the last time? am not so au fait with to be honest. Am really I listened to all of the albums back to back at enjoying The Black Ryder’s album which is the beginning of last year for the first time in due out in March for example and I loved probably a good 15 years or so. It’s interesting Alcest’s homage to the genre with their last listening back to music you have made in the album. past. Some of it still stands up well and some of it doesn’t. Any plans for 2015 for Slowdive? Yes, we are making many plans this year for The band came back in 2014. How was this the future! reunion planned? I think this is really well documented now Latin America? across the internet. We had an offer from We do hope so at some point. We have looked Primavera to play and we all started discussing into it and right now it just isn’t possible. But the possibility of doing new music as a result. we will be looking at this in the future with We thought that by doing the festivals this the new record. would be a good way to star and see if even for starts on a personal level it would work for Thank you Rachel for the time you take to all of us to be together again. answer the questions. The 13th 3
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