Wikipedia

Split (Lush album)

Split is the second studio album by English rock band Lush, released on 4AD on 13 June 1994 in the United Kingdom and a day later in the US. Unusually, the two singles from the album, "Desire Lines" and "Hypocrite", were both released on the same day: 30 May 1994. Split was reissued by 4AD on CD in July 2001.

Split
Studio album by
Lush
Released13 June 1994
RecordedOctober–December 1993
Studio
Genre
Length52:06
Label4AD
Producer
Lush chronology
Spooky
(1992) 		Split
(1994) 		Lovelife
(1996)
Singles from Split
  1. "Hypocrite"
    Released: 30 May 1994
  2. "Desire Lines"
    Released: 30 May 1994

Recording edit

Lush chose to work with producer Mike Hedges because they "loved" his work on Sulk by the Associates, A Kiss in the Dreamhouse by Siouxsie and the Banshees, and Seventeen Seconds by the Cure, according to Miki Berenyi.[1] They first recorded at Rockfield in Wales and then mixed at Hedges's house in France, but as Phil King remembered it, "it sounded as flat as a pancake, no dynamics at all".[1] They finally decided to have the entire album remixed by Alan Moulder, because he had already worked with My Bloody Valentine and Ride. Berenyi's verdict was positive, "Alan was brilliant".[1]

Reception edit

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic     [2]
Entertainment WeeklyB+[3]
NME6/10[4]
Pitchfork8.2/10[5]
Rolling Stone     [6]
Select2/5[7]

Select's Roy Wilkinson gave the album a negative review, describing it as "mid-paced stuff, fitting between melancholy and listlessness".[7] The review went on to state, "There's nothing wrong with a dose of heavyweight introspection per se. But a pretty deft touch is needed to translate it movingly to the recording studio".[7]

In a retrospective review, Andy Kellman, writing for AllMusic, was far more positive: "Split touches on most forms of emotional turbulence. A legitimizing stunner, the record prevented the band from being lost amidst the bunker of form-over-function dream pop bands. Split shattered every negative aspect of those failed acts with flying colors. A fantastic record within any realm."[2] In 2018, Pitchfork ranked the album at number 27 on its list of "The 30 Best Dream Pop Albums".[8]

Track listing edit

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Light from a Dead Star"Miki Berenyi3:15
2."Kiss Chase"Berenyi3:17
3."Blackout"Emma Anderson3:06
4."Hypocrite"Berenyi2:53
5."Lovelife"Anderson3:56
6."Desire Lines"Anderson7:37
7."The Invisible Man"Anderson2:14
8."Undertow"Berenyi4:57
9."Never-Never"Anderson8:04
10."Lit Up"Anderson4:00
11."Starlust"
  • Anderson
  • Berenyi
4:32
12."When I Die"Anderson4:17

Release history edit

Country Date Label Format Catalogue #
United Kingdom 13 June 1994 4AD CD CAD 4011 CD
LP CAD 4011
Cassette CAD C 4011
United States 14 June 1994 4AD/Reprise CD 9 45578-2
Japan 1 July 1994 Nippon Columbia CD COCY-78078
Japan 20 March 1996 Nippon Columbia CD (reissue) COCY-80093
United Kingdom 2 July 2001 4AD CD (reissue) GAD 4011 CD

Singles edit

  • "Hypocrite" (30 May 1994)
    • CD (BAD 4008 CD); 12" vinyl (BAD 4008)
      1. "Hypocrite" – 2:58
      2. "Love at First Sight" – 5:12 (The Gist cover, written by Stuart Moxham)
      3. "Cat's Chorus" – 3:23
      4. "Undertow (Spooky Remix)" – 9:13
    • 7" vinyl (AD 4008)
      1. "Hypocrite" – 2:58
      2. "Cat's Chorus" – 3:23
  • "Desire Lines" (30 May 1994)
    • CD (BAD 4010 CD); 12" vinyl (BAD 4010)
      1. "Desire Lines" – 7:29
      2. "White Wood" – 4:14
      3. "Girl's World" – 4:56
      4. "Lovelife (Suga Bullit Remix)" – 8:15
    • 7" vinyl (AD 4010)
      1. "Desire Lines" – 7:29
      2. "Girl's World" – 4:56
  • "When I Die" (promo only, June 1994)
    • Radio promo CD (PRO-CD-7048)
      1. "When I Die (Scott Litt Remix)" – 4:20
      2. "Light from a Dead Star (Album Version)" – 3:17
      3. "Lovelife (Album Version)" – 3:57
  • "Lovelife" (promo only, 1994)
    • Radio promo CD (PRO-CD-7092)
      1. "Lovelife (Album Version)" – 3:56
      2. "Lovelife (Suga Bullit Remix Edit)" – 5:28
      3. "Lovelife (Suga Bullit Remix)" – 8:15

Personnel edit

Personnel credits adapted from the album's liner notes.[9]

Lush

Additional personnel

Charts edit

Chart (1994) Peak
position
UK Albums (OCC)[10] 19
US Billboard 200[11] 195
US Heatseekers Albums (Billboard)[12] 3

References edit

  1. ^ a b c Ashton, Martin. "Chorus Lines - Lush In Conversation With Martin Aston. 4ad.com. Retrieved 2 May 2018.
  2. ^ a b Kellman, Andy. "Split – Lush". AllMusic. Retrieved 26 August 2009.
  3. ^ Romero, Michele (15 July 1994). "Split". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 26 August 2009.
  4. ^ Fadele, Dele (11 June 1994). "The Division Belles". NME. Retrieved 1 October 2016.
  5. ^ Reyes-Kulkarni, Saby (3 May 2016). "Lush: Origami". Pitchfork. Retrieved 1 October 2016.
  6. ^ Evans, Paul (8 September 1994). "Lush: Split". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 29 June 2007. Retrieved 26 August 2009.
  7. ^ a b c Wilkinson, Roy (July 1994). "Lush: Split". Select. No. 49. p. 84.
  8. ^ "The 30 Best Dream Pop Albums". Pitchfork. 16 April 2018. p. 1. Retrieved 24 April 2018.
  9. ^ Split (liner notes). Lush. 4AD/Reprise Records. 1994. 9 45578-2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  10. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 14 May 2018.
  11. ^ "Lush Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 14 May 2018.
  12. ^ "Lush Chart History (Heatseekers Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 14 May 2018.
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