Illuminati: Pastels Music Remixed (CD)

• Category:  Music  »  Rock & Pop  »  General Rock & Pop
• Format: CD   Learn more about the CD format using Tower WIKI.
• Release Date: January 12, 1999
• Label: Up
• UPC: 796818006524
• WAPI (Tower ID): 106350285
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• Tower.com Sales Rank: #118244 in Music (See Top 100 Music Bestsellers)
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CMJ (1/25/99, pp.25-26) - "...ILLUMINATI inspires a reexamination of the original material, pointing out the wonderfully subversive noises that have been lurking in the Pastels' music since the band's earliest years..."

The Pastels: Stephen McRobbie (guitars, vocals, keyboards); Aggi (bass, vocals, melodica); Katrina Mitchell (drums, vocals, keyboards, melodica, violin).

Additional personnel: Norman Blake, Dean Wareham (guitar, vocals); Jonathan Kilgour, Gerard Love (guitar); Isobel Campbell (cello); Sarah Ward (flute); Dawn Kelly (French horn); Bill Wells (piano); Gregor Reid (percussion).

Producers: Ian Carmichael, The Pastels, Gregor Reid.

Recorded at Cava Studios, Glasgow, Scotland.

On paper, Illuminati looks like it would be an amazing collection of remixes. With 15 assorted artists remixing twelve different songs by The Pastels, one would think there'd be a great deal of variation between the remixes, especially considering the talent of the remixers. But Illuminati ultimately falls a bit flat, as artists as diverse as My Bloody Valentine, Cornelius, Stereolab, To Rococo Rot, Future Pilot AKA, and Jim O'Rourke, among others, mostly play things too close to the vest. The result is that the tracks sound remarkably similar, and, for the most part, like white-washed versions of the original songs. It doesn't help that three songs make multiple appearances in various forms. Some tracks end up working no better than aural wallpaper. My Bloody Valentine, which makes two appearances, seems to be the chief influence of most of the other remixers; the first remix is too short to leave much of an impression, so ardent fans won't be as happy as they expected to be upon finding out that two new My Bloody Valentine creations are included. The best moments come from Cornelius, Future Pilot AKA, John McEntire, and Ian Carmichael. The Cornelius remix of "Windy Hill" is as interesting and exciting as anything from his Fantasma album; it's pretty, touching, and accomplished. Ian Carmichael turns The Viaduct into an even more gentle, stop-start ballad, full of interesting sounds and sweeping, sampled guitars. Future Pilot AKA's additional work on "Rough Riders" adds more to the original song than most of the other remixers combined; the song winds up sounding like a frazzled, joyous play on the original. John McEntire's remix of "Remote Climbs" is more mature and interesting than most of the work he's done with Tortoise; it's clear that he respected the original version, while still setting out to make a near-symphonic, electronic reworking. Too many artists simply distill the Pastels' light sounds without crafting anything compelling in the process. Either they were pressed for time or inspiration, or they just wanted to have their names printed along side the other remixers; the lesser tracks mostly just sample instrumental moments in a cut and paste fashion. Stereolab appear to be doing a Cornelius impersonation and not succeeding. My Bloody Valentine adds atmospheric elements to "Cycle," but the remix is nowhere near the caliber of anything on Loveless. Jim O'Rourke unleashes an army of inappropriate, misguided strings on his remix of "Leaving This Island." Illuminati works in small doses; it's not an album that asks to be repeated as a whole. Since most of the original songs were taken from Illumination, one of the weaker full-lengths from the Pastels, it shouldn't be that much of surprise that this collection of remixes only takes flight in spurts. Whether it's the source material or simply the lackadaisical approach of many of the remixers, Illuminati flickers out instead of burning bright. ~ Tim DiGravina

Illumination finds the Pastels in a similar mood to its predecessor, Mobile Safari. Scaling back the snappy production and crisp guitars of their earlier releases, the group crafts a collection of subdued, lovely melodies in the vein of the Velvet Underground's third album. While the Pastels lack Lou Reed's lyricism or the Velvets' assured experimentalism, the hushed ambience and sighing melodies of Illumination make it a charming listen. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

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