Illumination (The Pastels album)

"Unfair Kind of Fame"
Illumination
Studio album by The Pastels
Released	9 September 1997
Studio	Cava Studios, Glasgow
Genre	Alternative rock, Indie pop, art rock
Length	42:43
Label	Domino Recording Company
Producer	The Pastels, Gregor Reid, Ian Carmichael
The Pastels chronology
Singles from Illumination
	"Unfair Kind of Fame"; Released: June 1997; "The Hits Hurt"; Released: August 1997;

Illumination is the fourth studio album by the Scottish band The Pastels, originally released via Domino Recording Company in 1997. The album shows the group honing in on a warmer, gentler and more subdued sound compared to their previous work. It is their last studio album to feature longtime member Annabel "Aggi" Wright as a full member before she left to concentrate on her career as an illustrator in 2000. Whilst The Pastels continued to release music, Illumination would be their last proper studio album for 16 years, until the release of Slow Summits in 2013.

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[1]
The Independent	favorable[2]

Reception

Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic gave the album 3.5 stars out of 5, saying, "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."[1] He added, "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."[1] Angela Lewis of The Independent said, "The patron saints of Scottish indie pop retain their love of gently poignant lyrics and mellow guitar rustlings with their umpteenth album in 10 years; but now there's a new electronic edge, adding curiosity value."[2]

Track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"The Hits Hurt"	Stephen Pastel	3:48
2.	"Cycle"	Pastel, Aggi	4:33
3.	"Thomson Colour"	Katrina Mitchell	1:43
4.	"Unfair Kind of Fame"	Mitchell	4:21
5.	"Fragile Gang"	Pastel	2:39
6.	"The Viaduct"	Pastel, Mitchell	5:08
7.	"Remote Climbs"	Pastel	2:46
8.	"Rough Riders"	Pastel, Aggi	4:31
9.	"On the Way"	Aggi	3:38
10.	"Leaving this Island"	Mitchell	2:31
11.	"G12 Nights"	Pastel	1:12
12.	"Attic Plan"	Pastel	4:22
13.	"Mechanised"	Mitchell	1:31

Japanese edition bonus tracks
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
14.	"Frozen Wave"	Pastel, Aggi	5:07
15.	"Windy Hill"	Mitchell	3:59

Personnel

Credits adapted from liner notes.

Stephen Pastel – guitar, vocals, keyboards
Aggi Wright – bass guitar, vocals, melodica
Katrina Mitchell – drums, vocals, keyboards, melodica, violin, arrangement
Jonathan Kilgour – guitar
Gerard Love – guitar
Norman Blake – guitar, vocals
Dean Wareham – guitar, vocals
Bill Wells – piano, arrangement
Sarah Ward – flute
Isobel Campbell – cello
Dawn Kelly – French horn
Gregor Reid – percussion

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References

Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Illumination - The Pastels". AllMusic. Retrieved 9 November 2017.
Lewis, Angela (10 October 1997). "Pop: Album Reviews". The Independent. Retrieved 9 November 2017.

External links

Illumination at Discogs (list of releases)

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[allmusic-1] Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Illumination - The Pastels". AllMusic. Retrieved 9 November 2017.

[independent-2] Lewis, Angela (10 October 1997). "Pop: Album Reviews". The Independent. Retrieved 9 November 2017.