Pavement

[Salome]

I generally hold them as somewhere between "okay" and "pretty good." They've got some great tunes scattered around in their albums, but overall they just don't click with me like they seem to do with other people.

"Here," "Gold Soundz," "Cut Your Hair," "Range Life," and "Fillmore Jive" are all totally great, though.

same here
do really enjoy their stuff

 

[If you shout...]

http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/artic...we-dance-live-at-the-pitchfork-music-festival

 

[Axver]

I checked out Pavement simply because it seems every second review of seminal Dunedin Sound band The Clean says something along the lines of "Malkmus adores these guys". I can't say I was terribly impressed. I can see the influence of The Clean on Pavement's style, but it just seems so watered down, like Malkmus takes ideas from The Clean's weakest tracks rather than the best.

Ah well. The Clean own. Everyone should check them out.

 

[u2popmofo]

Relationships, hey hey hey

 

[lazarus]

Bad girls are always bad girls
Let's let 'em in.

 

[u2popmofo]

Harness your hopes to the folks with the liquor with the ropes,
Red, red ropes, periscopes

 

[u2popmofo]

Boys are dyin' on these streets!

*awesome guitar riff*

 

[lazarus]

Grounded is such an awesome song. I think they opened with it when I saw them at one of the Brighten the Corners shows.

That riff is awesome, but it's the solo that gets me.

Also--new Malkmus next month! That thing is going to rule all. Janet Weiss on drums =

 

[u2popmofo]

Grounded is such an awesome song. I think they opened with it when I saw them at one of the Brighten the Corners shows.

That riff is awesome, but it's the solo that gets me.

Absolutely. Whole song is great.

I still don't have any post-Pavement SM albums. Should probably fix that. (did see him and the Jicks when they opened for Radiohead, which was great)

 

[UberBeaver]

"And I'm the only one that laughs at your jokes when they are so bad. And your jokes are always bad. But they're not as bad as this..."

 

[u2popmofo]

"And I'm the only one that laughs at your jokes when they are so bad. And your jokes are always bad. But they're not as bad as this..."

I guess she spent her last quarter randomly
We guess a guess is the best I'll do

 

[LMP]

I'm bumping this shit because I happened to stumble upon the Pavement discography. Heard a song or two in the past, but can't remember any of them. Where should I start? Chronologically?

 

[lazarus]

Start with Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain. Continue to Wowee Zowee, then back to Slanted & Enchanted, then forward to Brighten the Corners and Terror Twilight.

Make it so.

 

[LMP]

Start with Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain. Continue to Wowee Zowee, then back to Slanted & Enchanted, then forward to Brighten the Corners and Terror Twilight.

Make it so.

I'll put it in the Ready Room, Number One.

 

[GirlsAloudFan]

Yes!

Pavement thread. Yes. Pavement rullllllllllles.

They've been my most listened-to artist over the last month according to my little Last.fm account.

Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain is still my favorite. With Range Life being, quite possibly, the most intoxicating song I've ever heard in my life.

Wowee Zowee would come in second. Slanted and Enchanted a close third. And I don't own TT or BTC yet, but I've heard a number of songs off those albums and they are lovely.

Shady Lane, especially.

Great band.

 

[u2popmofo]

I think I'm the one person here who would rate Wowee Zowee dead last out of their albums. Don't get me wrong, it has some fantastic songs I love, but I just find myself listening to it far less than anything else they've done. It's a bit too disjointed and all over for me. Granted, they're not a band with the most cohesive albums ever, but I find this one particularly lacks focus in any certain direction. While I don't mind that kind of thing in and of itself, I find it distracting with Wowee Zowee for some reason.

I probably have weird Pavement tastes though, as sometimes I think Brighten the Corners is my favorite record of theirs.

 

[GirlsAloudFan]

I hear ya, but there is just something about Wowee Zowee that I find irresistible. It has a certain charm to it...I don't know if I can articulate it well but yeah...

I also think that WZ features the best guitar playing that the band put on record.

 

[lazarus]

Maybe, GAF. The solo in Grounded is certainly one of SM's finer moments, and that spaced-out jam in Half A Canyon is as well. But I think Brighten the Corners has some pretty amazing work, especially that long solo that closes out the album on Fin, and the work on Old To Begin and Type Slowly.

It's a tough call.

 

[BigMacPhisto]

I think a lot of "modern indie" fans have a hard time getting into Pavement because they're expecting it to sound like what popular indie music is today.

I listened before I was into indie and didn't get it.

Then I listened after and didn't get it but loved Malkmus's solo work.

Then I gave it a third and quite like them now although I don't really consider them to have any classic albums. Anyway, I think you're sorta on the right page in that the production values are weaker than what we're accustomed to. Belle & Sebastian was really the one that upped the ante and showed that you could make albums for cheaper than the majors and have them sound really expansive and others like The Decemberists followed in their baroque pop footsteps. Frankly, I think Pavement is about on par with The Clash's London Calling for me. I know I would've loved it more had I been there at the time and not heard what came after. That album and the work of Pavement can be heard in so many artists since that the albums aren't revelatory unless they're some of the first ones you listen to. People whose first band they get into is The Clash (actually one of my favorite bands) and Pavement tend to rate them in high regard for the rest of their lives.

 

[LMP]

I really dug Crooked Rain almost the same way I dug The Pixies' Doolittle when I first heard it, which is now one of my favorite albums. Both had that rock edge with a slight pop sheen that makes me go ga-ga.

If this is any indicator, then I'd chalk up Pavement as another band the B&C'ers have gotten me into.

 

[LMP]

Double post.

 

[lazarus]

Your conversion is worth the double post, buddy.

Now, back to the Gold Soundz with you.

 

[u2popmofo]

You're the kind of girl I like
'Cause you're empty, and I'm empty



I wanted to join in the Crooked Crooked love.

By the way, LeMac, is that the grim reaper of pop in your avatar?

 

[No spoken words]

Since I've been admitting things in other threads today, I'll admit that my exposure to Pavement basically has been nil. I guess I ought to give 'em a try?

 

[LemonMelon]

Since I've been admitting things in other threads today, I'll admit that my exposure to Pavement basically has been nil. I guess I ought to give 'em a try?

Crooked Rain could become your new best friend.

will be disappointed, but he'll get over it.

 

[LMP]

You're the kind of girl I like
'Cause you're empty, and I'm empty



I wanted to join in the Crooked Crooked love.

By the way, LeMac, is that the grim reaper of pop in your avatar?

Naw, it's Jimmy Stewart during the dream sequence in Vertigo.

T.O. returns.

 

[GirlsAloudFan]

You're the kind of girl I like
'Cause you're empty, and I'm empty



I wanted to join in the Crooked Crooked love.

By the way, LeMac, is that the grim reaper of pop in your avatar?

Those are some of my favorite Pavement lyrics but my favorite part of that verse is actually the line that precedes the ones you posted...

So drunk in the August sun...

 

[LMP]

I didn't think you'd like alcohol-related lyrics, for whatever reason.

 

[u2popmofo]

Naw, it's Jimmy Stewart during the dream sequence in Vertigo.

T.O. returns.

Ha, it still totally looks like Morrissey to me.



I still am not sure if Carrot Rope is a horrifyingly disturbing song or not, and I've been wondering since the damn album was released.

 

[No spoken words]

So, fucking jack-asses, take the hint and tell me which album to start with. Jesus.