Split (Lush album)

Split is the third studio album by English alternative rock band Lush, released on 4AD on 13 June 1994 in the UK and a day later in the US. Two commercial singles were released from the album: "Desire Lines" and "Hypocrite," both released on 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
  3. "When I Die"
    Released: June 1994 (promo CD only)
  4. "Kiss Chase"/"Undertow"
    Released: 1994 (promo cassette only)
  5. "Lovelife"
    Released: 1994 (promo CD only)

Recording

The band chose to work with producer Mike Hedges as "we loved Sulk [by the Associates], A Kiss in the Dreamhouse [by Siouxsie and the Banshees] and Seventeen Seconds [by The Cure]" as Miki Berenyi explained it.[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
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
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
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 20 March 1996 Nippon Columbia CD COCY-80093
United Kingdom 2 July 2001 4AD CD (reissue) GAD 4011 CD

Singles
  • "Hypocrite" (30 May 1994)
    • CD (BAD 4008 CD); 12" vinyl (BAD 4008)
      1. "Hypocrite" – 2:58
      2. "Love at First Sight" – 5:12 (Young Marble Giants cover)
      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

Charts
Chart (1994) Peak
position
UK Albums (OCC)[9] 19
US Billboard 200[10] 195
US Heatseekers Albums (Billboard)[11] 3

References
  1. Ashton, Martin. "Chorus Lines - Lush In Conversation With Martin Aston. 4ad.com. Retrieved 2 May 2018.
  2. 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. 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. "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 14 May 2018.
  10. "Lush Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 14 May 2018.
  11. "Lush Chart History (Heatseekers Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 14 May 2018.
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