lazarus
Blue Crack Supplier
I think Plan A is fun.
Also:
1. Fin
2. Shoot the Singer
3. Grounded
4. Gold Soundz
5. We Dance
I was going to put something from Terror Twilight just because I defend it heartily. Carrot Rope, You Are A Light, and Cream of Gold would all be HIGH on a longer list.
Let's read Christgau's review of the album just for kicks:
"Terror Twilight [Matador, 1999]
Since I was fooled myself until I saw them live and knew every riff, I'm wondering why some believe there are no songs here. Probably the explanation is tempo. There's never that frantic hang-on-for-your-life moment when you either pay attention or embrace brain death--when you engage at gunpoint. And though the music seems stitched together rather than wound tight, it's never in any apparent danger of falling apart; it isn't riven or driven by internal contradictions. Thus, too much meaning is left up to the words. But that's not the same as the songs not being there--or as the meanings not being there either. A-"
Usually his A- reviews are pretty damning with faint praise, so that's a bit of an exception.
And hell, let's check out another one because it's such great rock-crit:
"Brighten the Corners [Matador, 1997]
Mature or die is the whole of the law. So of course there's no longer much insurgency in their ill-mannered sounds, now deployed to serenade a self-sustaining subculture and celebrate a band's collective success. Moderate tempos that once breathed psychedelic wooze turn reflective if not thoughtful as lyrics reference the material emoluments of middle-class life. Yet it's still exciting, because it isn't dragged under by the nagging disappointments that generally dull such music (and security). As convinced ironists, Pavement never expected anything else. Closure is a chimera--they'll drink to that. Onetime insurgent Thelonious Monk--they'll drink to him, too. A man known for his brilliant corners. A"
It is amazing how much a guy can say in such few sentences. When he's on, he's on.
