Reviews (page 3 of 8)
Attention and fame's a career, career, career, career, career, career…….
8/10
Enjoyed this a lot !
Another album from my youth which still holds up in the enjoyable to listen to stakes.
Not quite perfect, but pretty dang close awesome representation of what grind can do early when it’s still loose, based in garages and hanging out with stoners a few songs got lost in the wash but other than that this freaking rocks
A little bit of this, a little bit of that
90s alt rock sound.
An undeniable classic in '90s alternative and indie rock, and easily Pavement's finest hour. While emo long pre-dated this album, I feel like a lot of the modern sounds associated with the genre sprouted from this band and a group like Modest Mouse. I do prefer MM, but I'd be lying if I said this album wasn't also filled with impeccable performances, ear candy, off-kilter riffs, and tight sympathetic songwriting. That depressed, angsty, off-kilter style is the appeal here, so many songs feel off in the oddest ways; the record at times sounds like it's being played out of the most busted jukebox you can find in the Midwest. Be it due to Stephen's awkward off-key singing, often straining his vocal well out of his range, or what sounds like error notes being baked into the core riffs here. At times it feels amateurish, but that's more of a front that the band puts on; the lush, well-mixed, tight playing here tells a completely different story. The twisted, run-down nature of everything is more of a sound being pulled off impeccably well by some seriously skilled musicians. It still all feels sincere, though, especially that closing song 'Fillmore Jive', which is such a downer closer, but I'd be lying if I said it wasn't oozing so much passion out of every single note. Some other great moments here. I love the yearning of the country-rock tinged 'Range Life', it's maybe the freest and most cathartic song here, with some tight guitar work. 'Gold Soundz' has always been a personal favorite, just a ridiculously catchy tune prop'd up against these bitter lyrics that are sung with so much raw, unadultered passion; an all-timer alt-rock song. 'Cut You Hair', like 'Range Life,' I always interpreted as a commentary on the band's observation of the musical culture shift around them and the predatory nature of the music industry's hand in that shift; it's also super catchy. I love the hacky harmonies on 'Elevate Me Later', another incredibly catchy song with some killer tremelo leads. A really great album, enjoyed it much more this time around when compared to my first listen many years back. I've always respected Pavement for having such an idiosyncratic sound, while also not being afraid to dive into a lot of the cliches of their time. In a lot of ways, they put those "cliches" on the map, but they still manage to put a good enough twist on them, keeping things fresh.
You always hear about Pavement and how underrated they are. Some interesting music here, but some generic too. 3 would be harsh, 4 feels like too much. It wasn't boring at least.
This album should be a more frequent guest in the "Best Albums from the 90s" discussions. Not a perfect album IMO, but an amazing one nonetheless.
Really like this album. 4.25/5
Another band I inexplicably slept on in their heyday. I always love an album where you can hear the sneer, but there are plenty of other things going on, including some delightful noise.
Dacht bij het eerste nummertje of twee dat ik het saai zou vinden maar uiteindelijk een erg lekker lui zomers album met wat wazige & 90s vibes. Vond het nice
This was a very good rock and roll album. Honestly, I did not expect to like this as much as I did because I thought it would be more similar to the indie-rock I don't like than it was. The emotions here felt authentic and the rock and roll grit so often stripped from indie-rock was totally here. This was the first album we heard that I truly belive we could have made, but that's not a knock. While the songs were great, this album felt "achievable" in a way that I think is important for popular music. The guitar parts (and tone) were fantastic and not over the top, and I actually enjoyed the vocal even though I usually don't love white boy screaming. This singing felt real, and whar a lot of bands Pavement influenced likely copied to lesser effect. Finally, "Fillmore Jive" was an epic closer, abotu rock and roll itself. in classic Springsteen style. This song was great and exciting each time I heard it. I'll be listening to this again.
A very interesting indie rock which sounds truly lo-fi and has an alternative indie vibe. 9/10 [KEEP]
4.5- this was so close to being a 5 for me.
I've always been more of a Slanted and Enchanted kinda listener. I like how mature and experimental their brand of punky indie rock was, more expected from a more mature band. Crooked Rain has always been more of a critics choice and I see why. The experimental elements are toned down, even more mature song writing, they sound like they were writing in their 40s when they were still in their early 20s. There's no deep cuts that stand out as much as in Slanted, where the whole album is individualy memorable, but it's a more cohesive listening experience from start to finish. Starts great, ends great, almost perfect.
Really cool and interesting. I had heard of Pavement before but never sat down to listen to them. Was consistently engaged and enjoying what I was hearing.
You've got to be in the right mood for Pavement. But I wish I had access to this kind of record in 1994. Commercial alternative pushed an image; indie lets it all hang out. I like how Silence Kid is basically a slacker rock version of Everyday by Buddy Holly. Korea! Korea! I'll come back to this.
Скромное обаяние инди лоу фая.
Ma foi pardi
Wow. I’d heard Pavement referenced by a lot of other artists I love and I was still surprised by the obvious influence. This manages to be organic, warm, lo-fi, and polished all at once. They sound like the best garage band at the house show, the one that plays at the end of the night and wakes everyone up. Makes you want to pick up a guitar and try it yourself.
Pavement is such a good band. I love their sound. Loose but in a really precise way. Always great melodies and hooks. I hadn't listened to this full album but there are a lot of good songs that aren't the 'hits'.
Me sorprendió porque había escuchado unas canciones y me sonaban como algo que hubiera disfrutado a los 15 años. Pero no fue (tan) así, y si disfruté algunos temas.
Wow. Just really melodic and engaging shoe gaze rock. I liked it!
Falling in that strange spot where I can appreciate and totally understand why they’ve been included in this list, yet still not being an album or artist that I can definitely say I like. They seem to hold themselves deliberately short of huge success, probably just because it wouldn’t be cool.
Really good new find
Like weezer with stronger rock roots and some variety. 4.5
i enjoyed this and i can’t explain why
Although I’m not particularly in the mood at the moment to process music, any kind really, this is a bit like an old warm blanket. Quite comforting and familiar.
I was dreading this listen. I thought Pavement was some hard-core heavy metal. What a pleasant surprise to be swept away. I loved this.
Classic! Not everyone would like it but I sure do.
++: Silence Kid, Stop Breathin, Newark Wilder, Unfair, 5-4=Unity, Range Life, Heaven Is a Truck +: Cut Your Hair, Hit the Plane Down, Fillmore Jive +-: Elevate Me Later, Gold Soundz 8,2/10
I dig Pavement, they helped define indie rock in the mid 90's. Haven't listened to them in quite a while so I'm glad to revisit this classic. Not quite as good as I remember but still a solid album.
Really good
I love Stephen Malkmus songwriting, but nothing quite sticks from this album except for the single. That's only to say it needs more listens, a 3.5 for me now but will maybe get to 4 someday.
Stephen Malkmus may be the unofficial songwriter of Gen X. So it's hard for me to be objective about Pavement, a band I've loved for decades. This is one of their strongest records, but I must admit I hear a lot of filler here, as there is on all of their records. Still, this has a lot of great tracks and was probably the record that launched a million indie bands in the 90s and 00s. I think they'd have stronger material on both Wowee Zowee and Brighten the Corners, but as a time capsule of the early 90s, it's CRCR
- It's hard for me to love out of tune vocals, but this is still fun 90s "slacker rock", and I'm enjoying it more and more on each listen. - I really like the guitar work! It has a nice tone, and it feels like another (in tune) voice, lol. - The rest of the instrumentation kind of blends together in a wall of sound, but I like it.
I enjoyed playing this album. I kept picking up shades of Lou Reed and the VU - and some other influences.
Great indie rock
This felt ahead of its time.
4.0
Great
First proper listen to a Pavement album, really enjoyed this and I’ll definitely be going back for more. Yum yum
I don't know what to say. Pavement good
Not sure we need both of the first two Pavement albums, but I do like them. Not hugely different from Slanted & Enchanted, but certainly not a step down either. Another solid album. 3 1/2 stars.
Pavement is growing on me for sure. These were my young adult years, where I was listening to a lot of mainstream alternative (which is hard for me to listen to today) and apparently not enough indie rock!
Bloody love Pavement. Not my favourite album of theirs though.
This fucking ruled
Favourite Songs: Silence Kid Elevate Me Later
Enjoyable listen. Noisy guitars and pop hooks are always a great combo
I've been getting on well with this album, from the jangly, laid back, slacker vibes - it leans into indie rock/pop, and definitely comparisons to Weezer, if only for the very catchy Cut Your Hair. Quite enjoy the nod to Buddy Holly on Silence Kid, which indirectly has me thinking of Weezer once more. Also, the nod to Dave Brubeck in 5-4=Unity, which is definitely one of my favourite tracks on here, adding variability to album that isn't exactly lacking in this sense, and it arrives at the perfect time on the album. Unfair is another one I really like, and I'll shut up about Weezer soon, but definite Pinkerton era vibes here. Range Life has been a huge earworm for me and I do get The Thrills massively listening to this. They leaned into the West Coast vibe big time, and I get that with this album too. Hit the Plane Down is another track that I get on well with, it feels like the album needs a change of tack by this point, a bit of weirdness, something a bit more angular and jarring. The bass on this is cool, and just the general looser playing on this one.
I liked it. Pure 90s alt grunge.
A solid album overall. It’s loose, catchy, and easy to listen to, with a laid-back vibe. The clear standout is “Cut Your Hair,” with “Fillmore Jive” coming in a strong second.
Whereas in my teens I was musically was drowned in '70s rock, metal, and punk - in that particular order - during my early twenties, I started to expand my horizons, and what a time it was! From the crossover movement led by the RHCP, Faith No More, Living Colour, or Rage Against The Machine to the grunge movement of Nirvana, Pearl Jam, or Soundgarden and the noise heroes like Sonic Youth and the Pixies - the list is long...so long that I actually never came to listen to Pavement. And now I wish I had - this is a great album. Maybe not as powerful as the aforementioned bands, but just as intriguing and I particularly liked their lo-fi aproach. Nice discovery! 4/5
If Suede were American, they would sound like this.
I've fallen behind more with my listening since I've been working from home. Pavement's never been a favorite, but I've always liked them. Stop Breathin is a song I listen to a lot and Cut Your Hair is an obvious classic.
Legal. Acho que eu gostaria ainda mais se tivesse escutado em um outro momento da minha vida.
I didn’t really have any expectations for the album, but it really was a pleasant listen
This is what Pavement are all about for me. That perfect balance between sparse lofi production and instrumentation and the constant threat of an explosion of noise. The songs are so consistent and Malkmus' vocals are really on point. This came so close to a five star rating here, and it's possible that enough repeat listens would tip the balance. For now, the strongest four going.
Yea I like it, gives me Pixies vibes. Range Life is really good definitely my favorite track on the album. 7/10
8/10 Top drawer indie.
Pavement are a cool band and everything I’ve heard of them has been worth listening to. This is no exception.
range life by far the stand out
54/1089 3.9778* Solid 4* album. Great groove from the guitar and rhythm sections, and good emotion from the vocalist. I'll be adding a few songs to a grunge playlist. Hits...cut your hair
It's really nice, it has a certain vibe I adore
Always happy to see an album/band I've never heard of before appear on this journey. Was the entire reason for doing this in the first place. Loved "Elevate me Later", "Cut your hair", "Gold Soundz", "5-4=Unity" and "Range Life". For me, the album started to run out of steam after this point, droning into a mush of similar tracks. Overall, still enjoyed. Would be interested in listening to more of these guys.
Lots of influences present on this album. Liked much of the music and the singer’s voice and lyrics.
Cut your hair got air play back in the day, but that was about it from these guys. Solid under the radar 90’s tunes for sure.
7/10
For me, Pavement's debut album sounded like what you'd listen to when you got tired of all your Sonic Youth albums. This is certainly not a bad thing. But their follow up feels more unique. It's both poppier and bleaker at the same time. It feels more like their own sound to define a generation of disaffected youths. The fact that they were never as famous as their contemporaries only adds to their charm, like a hidden secret somehow always stayed a secret despite near universal acclaim. Pavement are easy to forget about and then rediscover later, which is part of the reason they remain who endearing to those in the know. This isn't just music for the slacker generation, it's music for anyone who can remember what it was like to be a teenager, lost in their world.
pavert eu li na capa to chapando FAVS (top 3): silence kid, range life, hit the plane down menções honrosas: elevate me later, newark wilder, fillmore jive compraria o vinil: talvez gostei, é bem vibes algumas, nem sei descrever mas eu gostei!!!! nota final: 4/5
This is one of those times I would love to have half stars. It’s almost a five! Somehow Pavement always sounds better when someone else is listening to them. Idk
This bunch of lazy college kids never had any pretensions, not in their message, not technically, not artistically…and probably should have stayed in their garage. But while grunge was sinking into disillusionment, their simplicity, humor, and lightness made them the real alt rock and witnesses of their time. Pure “fuck it” attitude, with that little nostalgic, almost melancholic touch I’ve always loved about them. In the end, yes, Pavement are bad, but their music wouldn’t have been this fresh and relevant if they’d been good.
Something about this stood out compared to the other 90s alt-rock albums I’ve heard so far - I liked that it wasn’t directly angry, the songs all had little uniquenesses to them, and I really liked the track in 5/4. Maybe this is generous but take 4 stars!
I think it needs more than 1 listen 4/5 for now
This one is difficult. Some of the tracks are great 90s alt/indie rock. Some are pretty good music with annoying vocals. Two or three are just straight up bad. It's about a 3.5, but I'll be generous since the good tracks were enjoyable.
Bela descoberta!! Gostei muito de ouvir e quero continuar ouvindo!!!
Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain erschien 1994 und gilt als das zugänglichste Album von Pavement. Die Band stammt aus den USA und nahm das Album überwiegend im Random Falls Studio in New York sowie im Studio Louder Than You Think in Stockton, Kalifornien, auf. Musikalisch bewegt sich die Platte im Spannungsfeld von Indie Rock und Lo-Fi, wirkt dabei strukturierter und melodischer als der Vorgänger, ohne den lakonischen Grundton aufzugeben. Besonders bekannte und prägende Songs sind „Cut Your Hair“, „Gold Soundz“ und „Range Life“, die den spielerischen Umgang mit Popformen und ironischer Distanz gut bündeln. Insgesamt ein ausgewogenes Album, das Pavements Eigenwilligkeit bewahrt und zugleich klarer formuliert ist als frühere Veröffentlichungen.
first listen super super great
Stockton CA 1994? Sounds like home
A very soothing listen for rock.
Quite good
I have Pavemented myself out at least three or four times over the years, but it's been long enough and I have carefully avoided the cloying movie thing about them from last year. I like them best when they rock, like on the opening track. The undulating indie thing they largely invented wears on me now, but even in those polite environs, they hit overdrive occasionally. "Cut Your Hair" is a still a jam. "Range Life" might be the best song they ever did, short of "Passat Dream" off Brighten the Corners. I know that's a rare one not by Stephen Malkmus, but what could be more Pavement than picking that one.
I am fully aware of the irony of arguing that this is the wrong Pavement album to spotlight. Slanted and Enchanted absolutely defined an era and style and was an enormous breath of fresh air when it came out. OK fine, this album is also very good, and it reminds me that I probably need to go back and listen to Pavement more in these horriffying, dispiriting times. “Range Life” is a great indie diss track, one of several tunes (“Heaven is a Truck,” “Stop Breathing’”) that benefit from a breezy, loose groove. Another random observation: On a day when I’ve been deluged with AI (podcast ads, slop art from clients, controversies over planned data centers), it’s refreshing AF to examine Pavement’s crude and literal cut-and-paste album cover art. How I miss such things.
Less drony than I’ve heard previously from pavement, but with the same tension infused into the songs. I enjoyed this.
Thanks to "Cut Your Hair", this was my official album of "I just got my hair done" all through my college years, up until I decided I was over the whole "I'm just a boy" thing. I've never found Pavement to be as much of a revelation as everyone else seems to, but their first two albums have always struck me as pretty solid, and this one does a pretty good job of polishing their sound slightly and coming up with better songs (even if I prefer Slanted and Enchanted overall). Actually, on this relisten, I'm kind of realizing how much Versus (one of my favorite indie rock groups of the 90s) sort of sounds like Pavement, and clearly was taking the sound from them, but it really doesn't change how I feel about the two relative to each other. This part's just here because hopefully I can convince someone to listen to The Stars Are Insane!
This was a entertaining album that makes me want to dive into Pavement more. Jon put me on a few songs back in the summer but this is my first formal introduction to them. My special chalice... made of gold
Quite good, grew on me as I progressed through it
8.5 / 10
I understand why people said they were the indie Beatles. Loved the vibes of it and heard its influence in things I dig, as well as things that are happening now that owe maybe a little too much to this band. The forever under yet well-rated indie rockers. Dunno if that sentence even fucking works but whatevs little man it's a 8.5/10 for moi the first go-round.
I liked Slanted and Enchanted a lot more in my 40s than I had in my 20s, when it was generated for me last year, so I was quite excited to continue my Pavement discography dive today. I only really knew Cut Your Hair and Gold Soundz from this album but it had loads of great songs throughout that I didn't see coming. I don't always love Malkmus' slacker vocals or the slightly off-kilter melodies but I 𝘥𝘰 love the delivery and the guitars throughout. Found myself keeping it on rotation for days and enjoying it more and more. Another one I'll look to add to the collection when I find it.
I liked this a lot! I actually enjoyed it more than Slanted And Enchanted, even though that has a higher rating than this one A pleasant surprise 4 ⭐️
Intressant att vi får denna nu när vi nyligen haft Nirvana och Pixies. För detta är ju den amerikanska indie motrörelsen, reaktionen på det. En del skulle kalla det LoFi, och kanske kommer det därifrån från början men här har det redan blivit något annat. Jag vill kalla det slacker indie, det är alldeles för uppstyrt och producerat för att fortfarande vara LoFi. Jag har lyssnat en hel del på sånt här, men det är länge sen, och jag får hålla med denna gång det här kanske det bästa albumet i genren. Även om inte allt är bra finns det nåt väldigt sympatiskt med det hela. Det är anti-macho, anti-emotionellt och anti-rock, gärna på ett ironiskt och distanserat vis. Men här finns också bra låtar, "Cut your hair", "Unfair", "Gold soundz" och underbart aparta "Range life" är alla rara indieklassiker. Visst ibland svajar det lite väl betänkligt men det är också en del av konceptet, det här ska inte vara välspelad rockmusik, det ska vara dess motsats. En motståndsrörelse ska alltid premieras och topparna är så höga att den klarar fyran med en hårsmån
Gritt 90's rock
Good rock album, easy listen. 7.6/10
There is some filler on this album but the heights more than make up for it. I like how it so utterly belongs in its time. It's a special group that can make ironic snark with hidden soul work so well.
i liked it!! never got into Pavement, but i like this album!!
One area where this list really excels is 90's rock/indie.
It is worthy of classic status, but personally I have never clicked with Pavement as much as I have tried to.
darling dont you go and cut your hair
I love how nonsensical-yet-biting Pavement can be. it cuts deep for me.
kings of the lo-fi... leuke melodieën, goeie stem, net niet te slackerig...
I never checked them out when they were new. It wasn't really my scene. I was a punk rocker. They were what we called alto. Definitely on the punk end of the alto range though. I would have loved them. Great.
Peak 90s indie sound. This album really captures the era. They care just enough to sound good, but not enough to sound pretentious.
Perfectly imperfect. Casual looseness - theyre not worried about hitting every note, more about capturing a feeling. Unpolished charm like the Velvet Underground. Mood and personality over technical neatness. Can also hear where this has influenced 2000s indie bands like The Strokes. Gold Soundz and Range Life are particularly accessible. Almost old school emo with the vocal delivery. They were my favourite tracks. 8/10
Good.
> The Beatles
Think I’m being abit harsh but I give it 3.5
Much like the other Pavement we did this was good, ragged, quirky indie that is pretty easy to like.
Irgendwie postiv überrascht. Mochte die Gitarren sehen, könnte beim mehrmaligen Hören wirklich was gutes draus werden.
This is the Pavement album to listen to. Peak witticisms, peak hooks, and some weird stuff like the Dave Brubeck homage 5-4=Unity. Fave Tracks: Silence Kit, Cut Your Hair, Gold Soundz, 5-4=Unity, Range Life 4.2/5
Japidi takie 3.5
I like this one much better than "Slanted..." as I feel this album has many more song structures that feel whole and complex while still giving satisfying melodies. I may personally give it a 3.5, but there's part of me that could potentially see it growing to a 4.5 as I do want to revisit it in the future (which is not how I felt about "Slanted...").
I was impressed by this - interesting guitar work, nice vocals, some memorable songs. I'll come back to this again in the future. 3.7/5 - 4/5
And that’s a pretty nice haircut! 😙
Nice find!
Quite good
Love when an album is not what you expected. Their most pop tuned "Cut Your Hair" wasn't even the best song on the album
Pleasantly surprised by this album. I loved it from start to finish and I’m definitely gonna spin (stream) it again in the future. Nothing like a good indie rock album to start the day!
Not sure how this band avoided my radar, since I like so many sounds in here. I usually try to steer away from artist comparisons, but I can’t help but hear Wilco, modest mouse, the pixies, and even weezer in here. All of which I have had long standing listening relationships with. I love the sound they capture in “range life”. Good stuff.
Solid album. Like more tracks than I recall. Favorites include "Silence Kid," "Cut Your Hair," "Gold Soundz," "Range Life," and "Heaven is a Truck." Ultimately went with "Cut Your Hair" and "Range Life" for the playlist..."Silence Kid" almost made it though!
Ohh the 90s...
I love this sound. Of course I do. It's mid 90's!! I like the grunge sound in it.
I want to front load this, Stephen Malkmus's vocals are anywhere from horrific to exactly what the song needs on this album. It is such an inconsistent performance. Like Newark Wilder is such a strange performance and then immediately after unfair is one of the best songs on this album. Somewhere around track 2 or 3 I realized this is so similar to Jeff Rosenstock's career output at times that it just clicked and I loved it. It's not perfect, there are some average songs, but this will be a high 4. I think I will be returning to a good amount of this record.
They make being such a slacker look easy. But for real, there's a reason Pavement are as beloved as they are. For a band that sounds so damn laid back, they have a sound that they dig every fun idea out of, up to and including a jazz number in 5/4. Makes me miss playing in a band with my buddies, and seeing my friends at shifty local dives. Might get back into that now that I've given this a proper listen
Good indie/slacker rock ⭐️Cut Your Hair, Unfair, Range Life 84/100
Consistently sonically and lyrically interesting. Always love the way they crunch their chord structures so tightly - the guitars weaving and crashing into each other as Stephen Malkmus’ vocals dance in between the threads. Still sounds fresh to me, but that’s probably because I’m over 50
Was never a huge Pavement fan, only listening to them later with their last album, but really enjoy the "hits" from this album-- "Cut Your Hair," "Gild Soundz," and, of course, "Range Life." I really enjoyed the shaggy nature of this album and their ethos in general. Still, a little too melodocially and lyrically unkempt at times which I guess is the whole point. Gotta listen to more of these guys, feel like I missed out on them in the 90's
Love me some Pavement. In some ways they're the perfect example of an indie band with the DIY ethos. Malkmus just can't sing, or at least he doesn't care about doing it "well", and the band is adequate but nothing special, and somehow they still make interesting, catchy, endlessly replayable stuff. Range Life is such a good song, I also love Gold Soundz. Pavement has a strong cult following but I still think they're underrated.
i get it, pavement is supposed to be the end all be all of indie, but it's just good, not 5 star great.
This band is so crazy Its sloppy in the best way possible. Perfect blend of indie rock and noise rock influenced textures. So cool, will def return
Pleasant surprise! This album was great, I definitely want to relisten.
Hell yeah, Pavement.
This album was pretty fun and varied. I enjoyed it.
This album was quite fun and easy on the ears. The vocals reminded me of Rivers Cuomo at times. Silent Kid’s chorus sounded suspiciously close in melody to Everyday by Buddy Holly, but I’ll let it off. The album reeks of apathy, which is quite nice - I’m certainly a fan of slacker rock in general. Despite this, I’m not sure it was a strong enough album to make me want to listen again. If I want slacker rock, I’d probably still seek out some different 90’s alt.
Good album, pavement are a goated band, no songs particularly stand out to me tho
Pavement has ALWAYS been someone else's band. Someone who was cooler, hipper, wiser, and just a little more 'in' than me, just a little more ahead of the curve and once I arrived I was way too late. They always felt exclusive to a group that didn't include me, so I never listened. Screw those guys. I like this - quite a lot! I wish I would have swallowed my melodramatic self-pity sooner. The only person blocking the door was me.
I was so happy to see this on the generator. I really like Pavement and this album was fantastic
If you don't like pavement, it's your own asphalt
I have always avoided Pavement as music for hipsters and cynics. The beginning of this album did not do anything to dispel my thought. But at 5-4=Unity, the album changed for me and I absolutely loved the remaining songs.
solid album
No mam problem z tą płytą. Z jednej strony wszystko mi w niej pasowało, z drugiej mam wrażenie że już wszystko to kiedyś słyszałam. Zdążyłam się już przyzwyczaić do innowacji lub klasyki klasyk na tej liście. A to ani klasyka ani wielki zespół. Po prostu Indie rock jakich wiele. Mimo to podobało mi się i nie mogę z czystym sercem dać mniej niż 6.5/10 równane w górę.
A fun lo-fi punky rock album that doesn't take itself seriously. It's lyrics are silly and the music is varied and exciting
This just warmed my little grunge heart. I don’t know why, but I never got into Pavement back in the day, and I feel I missed out. While the vocals sometimes feel incongruous with the music, most songs it works. And I was very pleasantly surprised by the jazzy instrumental 5-4=1 Unity that they snuck in the middle there. It doesn’t all hit, I could do without Hit the Plane Down, for example, but all in all it beat expectations.
Bompin and stompin
Very 90s alternative sound. Enjoyable for the era, 4* Highlights: cut your hair
A little weird, but I dug it. My favourite was 5-4=Unity
Raw. There are a lot of good thoughts and sounds in the music and it's rather eclectic. I can see how there are lots of influencial sounds for other bands to be inspired by. I am a fan of the "5-4=Unity" track. It has a fun jazzy vibe that just keeps progressing and the Piano is refreshing.
Rough and polished; blunt and charming.
Some kind of post-punk, proto-emo? Also has some grungey and indie elements, even Cure-like? This album is like a missing link, quite interesting Shame it's more interesting than catchy or fun... Silence Kid has vocal melody similar to Everyday by Buddy Holly? Best track - Silence Kid, Cut Your Hair, Gold Soundz 3 stars? Bump up to 4 for 3 songs I actually really like
7/28/25. Not sure why I slept on this one for a long time, very enjoyable listen. A tad quirky, but sharp songs.
4 stars Distorted punk. Good opener. Sound is like an early 2000's album. Yet, still kinda bored by the GenX melancholy of it. Kinda annoyed by lead singers voice, sounds like a weak Jeff Tweedy, out of tune. Best Tune: Range Life (by far) Sounds very Wilco starting with Range Life
I kinda went back and forth on this album, but I ultimately liked it. Range Life, Fillmore Jive and 5-4=Unity were all standouts for me.
I quite enjoyed this, I think I'd relisten.
Eén van de coolste bands. Klinkt rauw, klinkt vals, maar dan op een goede manier. 4.3
Got a lot more into Pavement this year for obvious reasons, but I do love em! This album is great, and though it’s a lot less hit-heavy, it really coasts on vibes and that patented cheeky slacker energy. So many fantastic moments
Bands like Pavement are funny to me because like today, I'll listen to an album by them and be like WOW i finally get it... pavement rocks... and then never listen to them again, forget they exist, get prompted to listen to them and have my mind blown all over again lol. maybe its my oogga boogga neanderthal brain ... jk i have no neanderthal dna unlike u knuckleheads haha .. .. .. .
Distortion just how I like it!
Early 90s diy-noise-punk indie rock from the US was SO much better than its 60s-eclecticism-but-Liam-brought-drugs-and-his-sampler UK counterpart but I'm not really warming up to Pavement I'm afraid. Their debut album (#246) managed to squeeze a ★★★★★ out of me, but I don't think this one will. [...] [in which I mull over a comparison with some other bands from that time and US place I enjoyed recently...] [Or will it?] No, I've been staring at this stupid box long enough. It's all fine, some songs I'll keep around (Unfair, Gold Soundz) but there's some sulky and moany, disaffected vibe to much of this album that I don't care much for. Maybe it's an acquired taste. I didn't acquire it. Happy to have had this today, though. A solid 4, will play again.
Enjoyed it, though I don't remember a single song. Liked the lower power singing.
Never heard of Pavement, but I ended up really enjoying it. Range Life was definitely the highlight for me.
A decent collection of appealing indie rock
Love this, one of the best albums from a massively underrated band
Absolute classic of my teenage years. Probably Pavement’s best record in my book.
Off the cuff remark: A second Pavement album in a few days!! While it is a great album always felt it never quite lived up to the wonder of Slanted and Enchanted Standout Track(s): Perhaps obviously "Cut Your Hair" but "Gold Soundz" and "Range Life" deserve honorary mentions Revisit?: Absolutely. Well-crafted out-of-kilter-indie-rock what's not to bear repeat listening?
I knew I should have listened to Pavement's albums earlier in my life. Because this is really good. I can see why Noel Ghallager said it was one of his musical inspirations for his band Oasis. This band is clearly more experimental than the latter tough, which I enjoy a lot. 8,5/10 fav songs : Cut Your Hair & Fillmore Jive
His voice isn't great, but really enjoyed it anyway.
Great. Compelling.
4-
Ordentlicher Rock mit gutem Konzept. „cut your Hair“ ist ein guter Song. „Range Life“ ist spannend.
Weezer heard this band and thought they could tighten it up and give it a little more pop sensibility. Pavement is the dark side of Wilco. There's a Pixies vibe to this album as well. Cut Your Hair was their hit. It's not a Pixies vibe, it feels more like an homage now. 5-4=Unity steals a bar from Dave Brubeck and I'm here for it, it's a nice departure from the rest of the album that is very much one note. There are some things to like about this album...but it is a lot of the same, track after track. Hit the Plane Down is more grunge than the rest of the album and the worst song on the album. And Wilco is the first band up in the "Because you just listened to Pavement" queue.
Great indie rock album. Every song on this thing is good, not a bad thing happening here. 9/10
Love pavement
Actually really up my street, I liked it very much. Can feel all the grunge influence, nirvana, pixies etc blended with more jazz influences
Cool
Such a wonderful record!!
This is the kind of band that I know of, have listened to a few times, found it interesting, but never took the energy to dig deeper or to make it a regular on my turntable. Anyway, this is a good indie/alt rock album from the 90s, kind of grungy but in a more laid back attitude. Is this changing the face of music? Probably not. Is this good? Hell yeah!
First heard this album around a year ago & really didn't like it, I just thought it was pretty boring indie rock, however coming back to this, this is actually a really great record, yeah there are some more forgettable tracks on here, but most of this stuff is really cool & melancholic, which somewhat of a side track, I've realized that I don't really tend to like overly depressed music, but rather melancholic music, just something I noticed, anyways, the album's got a lot of really nice riffs & slacker, indie, 90s vibes to it, it just has that 90s alternative vibe that I love, Idek how to describe the feeling just... this feeling of 90s alternative attitude that I love, this record's really great, nice indie stuff.
nice lo-fi indie noise. occasionally drifted into discordant a little too much for my tastes, but i enjoyed my time with it.
- ziemlich moody und meist laid back und entspannt. Gefiel mir sehr gut
Can’t say I’ve ever listened to the album all the way through in the past… Definitely in my genre of music and I like a lot of of what Malamus and team are doing… bit quirky for my liking, but bit mad at it.
Always enjoy Pavement
Pavement is one of those ‘90s bands that should have been bigger and have been underrated . Great ‘90s indie album
Used to be my favourite, now my second least favourite Pavement.
Very, very high 4 stars. These guys were so damn cool. 4/5
Gold soundz indeed
Jangly and surprising complicated indie rock from the birth of alternative…
One of those bands; you get them or you don't...if you do, they are really amazing...I do my love!
I didn't get into Pavement until more recently, but I already liked this album. As someone who grew up with the Smashing Pumpkins as my favorite band, "Range Life" always makes me chuckle.
I enjoyed this. I don't know if it's very unique, but I needed something to enjoy rather than something unique to dislike.
Don’t love the vocals but they grew on me. I can hear the influence of this over a lot of artists I’ve listened to. That soft punk rock indie sound where the guitars do the singing and the vocals carry the message. Will listen again
Great album love the rock vibes. Feels like im in a small bar drinking beer with my buddies as we jam. Floor is sticky and the girls are mean. Notable standouts: Gold Soundz, Silence Kid, 5-4=Unity, Heaven Is a Truck
This album is good company as you head home after a late night of mucking up. Guitar riffs and drum rhythm feel like sweat cooling on your skin in the night air as you march home. Lyrics capture the essence of being a young person finding your place in the world, while shoving it to the system flanking your rebellion Elevate me later, Stop Breathin, Cut your hair, Unfair, Gold Soundz, Range Life
Guitars and percussion are pretty good, vocals aren’t always the best but they stack up pretty well in the mix. Various influences shine through which sparked my interest with each song. A decent alt-rock, grunge, album.
Some pretty droning Some casual poetry Makes alt rock success
It makes no sense that I've never listened to a Pavement album before. Better late than never, though. This is right up my alley. I recognized Cut My Hair - I used to like that song! I forgot about it. I also recognized Silence Kid because of how it plays with the melody from Buddy Holly's Everyday, which I think is lovingly intentional after some quick reading about the band. I'll definitely be revisiting this record.
Loses steam in the second half for me.
Pavement checks all my style and influence boxes. I've learned that sometimes the "box checking" bands can disappoint however, when the style is there without the substance. But in this case, I heard something on the first listen that made me want to go back again. On second listen, I enjoyed it even more than the first time through. Specifically, from "Cut My Hair" (the big hit in its day) through the end. I'm going to keep some of these songs in the rotation. RANDOM STUFF: If you ever wanted to know what could have been, had Neil Young joined up with the Velvet Underground, you can find out by listening to "Range Life." And what's up with "5-4=Unity" borrowing from the Beatles' "I Want You (She's So Heavy)"? So curious, but enjoyed that little interlude....
This album took several turns from the over-the-top grinding rock assault tracks, to alt-rock hit maker, to quirky experiment, and then more and more of the same. Somehow, in the end, it really impressed me more than I expected. I got a very distinctive early Wilco-vibe at its best, and as it progressed, I was kind of sold. I don't know how I missed this in the nineties, but I was glad to get it here. It may be pushing it a little, but listening to this on the 101 on the CA coast on a beautiful day, pushes this to a 4 for me. I guess I'm ready for a range life.
Pretty cool. I would have been into this back in the 90s.
I had no idea what to expect but I enjoyed this. At times they reminded me of Wilco. 3.5/5
I never heard this entire album before, but its worth the listen. Solid, genuine, and well produced. Very much "of its time", but what isn't? 4/5
Slacker indie at it's finest! Despite it's frayed at the edges style and delivery it belies some cleverly constructed songs and the playing is focused and sharp. Fillmore Jive is a great way to close the album. Gold Soundz, Range Life, Cut Your Hair and Silence Kid are all stand out
I don't know half of the albums on this list half as well as I should; and I like less than half of the albums on this list half as well as they deserve. This album is the opposite of the later half of that statement. I don't think this album should get that much love. It's fairly mediocre and probably could be replaced on this list..... but I kinda like it. Undeservedly so, I really like it. I can't put my finger on why though. Every song has a voice crack or a note played off beat that reminds you "hey, you shouldn't like this". Maybe it's just the mix up in the list that brings some fresh air. Either way, I favorited a few songs, and I'll probably come back to it again.
Not a complete home run for me. But the good outweighs the bad. I’m the sicko who loves the whiny vocals. And the backing guitars are great. 4/5
Such a distinctive sound. Great songs and lyrics.
Enjoyed Gold Soundz, Silence Kid, and Fillmore Jive in particular.
Interesting enough 3.5 stars
This is definitely weird, but in all the right ways. Sounds to me like a mix of The Pixies and Nirvana. The instrumental 5-4=Unity was interesting (is it a "cover" of Dave Brubeck's "Take Five"?). This album gives me the urge to gather some friends and jam out and maybe start a band. Favourite Tracks: Stop Breathin, Cut Your Hair, Range Life, Fillmore Jive 4/5
I just think the droney vocals put me off. Some of the later tracks are cracking, 5-4=Unity, and Range Life, and I liked Elevate Me Later, but I'm just not very enthusiastic about the whole thing. 3.5, because of how much I enjoyed the standout tracks, and some brave variation on guitar and song structure.
Love Weezer and they had similar vibes.
A fantastic time machine to a time in my life where possibilities were endless. An album that encapsulates the feeling of having the ability to do anything, but making the choice to do nothing. Feeling as if that choice was made for you. Feeling everything and nothing at all. Great album.
4.5 stars if i could! feels like a sunny day it’s a triumph to be able to enjoy this again
A landmark album. Some of my favorite songs of all time on this one. Would be a perfect 5 if there was something else besides hit the plane down on it
Muss nochmals hören
I really liked it! I enjoy pavement a lot. Added a song to my playlist
I happened to listen to this today before it was assigned as the album of the day. I love the goofy, witty, playful but also really emotional elements of this album, has really grown on me over time.
I remember that Pavement's celebrated debut "Slanted and Enchanted" appeared on multiple music periodical lists in 1999; critics retrospectively called it "summery," probably because of the paradoxical first track/single "Summer Babe (Winter Version)." Following the transition of "Alternative" from post-grunge to Limp Bizkit, I relied heavily on Rolling Stone's End of the Year or "Fin de siècle" lists to pursue music that would otherwise not be played on the mainstream radio. Having missed the era of MTV's 120 Minutes Live or even Unplugged, I found artists like Liz Phair, Yo La Tengo, Pavement, Built to Spill, PJ Harvey, Tori Amos via back issues of music periodicals. Unlike some of the artists I listed Pavement was a band whose debut was my introduction to their discography, for the subsequent releases I relied on my local library (which only had a badly scuffed copy of "Brighten the Corners"). I didn't get a copy of "Crooked Rain Crooked Rain" or "Wowee Zowee" until Freshman year of college, so both of those records never inspired the same level of appreciation and heavy rotation as the ones I listened to while in high school. "Silence Kit," begins with an intentional false start and caught dialogue, before a cowbell percussive breezy guitar melody...Stephen Malkmus's slacker lyrics read like an inside joke meandering at a conversational tone without choruses, it shifts into a cul-de-sac and then ends. "Elevate Me Later" sounds like spiritual sequel to "Loretta's Scars" ("Those who sleep with electric guitars/Range rovin' with the cinema stars...There are forty different shades of black/ so many fortresses and ways to attack") Clever lyrics and overlapping guitar textures, incidental hooks and accidental choruses, tossed off time signature changes (Stop Breathin"). The college radio quasi-hit "Cut Your Hair" launched Pitchforkmedia with a sarcastic critique of the indie rock gold rush and a feigned indifference that reduced credibility to haircut aesthetics (but "ironically"). "Newark Wilder" has a 1960s spy movie vibe with snaky guitars, everything has a false ending...."Unfair" anticipated Weezer by a decade for asking to "burn the hills of Beverly" because California has "Manmade deltas and concrete rivers." Every song tends to blur together like they could have defined a perpetually shrugging and snide generation that distrusted being reduced to a marketing demographic. 5-4=unity (is a marvelous night for a Moondance), "Range Life" has a "Zurich is Stained" strum and weary desire to "settle down" but "Don't worry, we're in no hurry" before mocking both The Smashing Pumpkins and Stone Temple Pilots for being "nature kids" and "elegant bachelors." I guess if you can't be overtly political you can gatekeep the scene at a time when selling out mattered to privileged suburban kids passing as bohemian outsiders. "Hit the Plane Down" is terrible and "Fillmore Jive" feels like filler (1994 makes Pavement a few years too late to dismiss hair metal as passé). "Crooked Rain Crooked Rain" was a decently catchy follow up record that fell short of all expectations, because the final ten minutes are excruciatingly poor in execution. Some will argue that the best Pavement material exists on limited edition import singles and obscure compilations that were subsequently combined on Expanded Remastered Editions of their studio albums, which can be differentiated from standard issue by the colon and clever subtitle appended to the original album name (i.e., Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain: LA's Desert Origins adds 12 b-sides from singles and a second CD with two concert recordings and a John Peel Session). I am not reviewing those editions because I am not a completist.
I think every Pavement album except their last might have been my favorite Pavement album at some point. Right now, this one is my favorite.
Quite nice
January 11th HL: “Elevate Me Later”, “Cut Your Hair”, “Gold Soundz”, “Unfair”, “Range Life” Slanted and Enchanted was the first Pavement I heard, and between its rough-edged, lofi production and Malkmus’s talk singing, I didn’t really feel a pull to go deeper into their catalogue. Actually I DID put on American Water by Silver Jews last year, which has Malkmus’s involvement, but that’s about it. But holay shit This is an album so consistent, it makes me wonder if I was wrong about their earlier album. (I’ll have to revisit at a later date) Amidst some unholy screeching (“Unfair”), we have a jazz interlude (“5-4=Unity”), the country-esque (“Stop Breathin’”, “Range Life”), and a monkey-esque wordless chorus (“Cut Your Hair”), all in a pretty efficient 40 minutes. Basically, I get it now
Knew and liked one or two of their songs already which were on this album, rest.of the album follows that so I'd say 'enjoyable'
I liked it
Had a lot of dissonant sounds and was pretty heavy on the guitar distortion at times, but was intriguing enough that I might give another listen.
This album is a bit cleaner and more polished than their last one, but it still retains that raw indie sound. One cool thing about Pavement is their ability to build up their music to where it gets a little loud and noisy, yet they still maintain a laid-back and calm vibe throughout the entire album.
Surprised! Somehow I never heard them.
Honestly this delivers. It never tries to be anything more than it is, and it provides a decent amount of entertainment value. I like the raw sound, which in its own way is a little innovative and unique from the mainstream music at the time.
This album would be really good with a better singer, but is still good enough for 4 stars or B-.
a fun 2000s indie rock album over half a decade before the 2000s were invented. respect!
Wieder eine neue Band entdeckt. Danke für diese Challenge.
I always want to hate on Pavement - then I listen to a record of theirs and enjoy it. This is no different. Accessible Indie with shoegaze-y aspects.
own
I enjoyed it and will try and listen again. I liked the scrappyness of it
Dit is een kolfje naar m'n hand. Het vorige Pavement album dat ik kreeg was eigenlijk ook goed, maar beviel me toch net niet helemaal. Bij dit album is dat anders. Ik ken het album niet maar qua muziek voelt het een beetje als thuiskomen. Lekker geluid, goed opgenomen, leuke gitaren, genoeg afwisseling, de zanger zingt een beetje kut (huismerk Dylan) maar niet tè, regelmatig zit er zowel als zang qua gitaar bewust een dissonantje in, maar die kunnen we hebben vandaag. En het album voelt ook wel als een album, een soort reis van A naar B. Ik kan deze wel een 4 toeschuiven. Het voelt als thuiskomen ook al kende ik hier helemaal niks van. De op één na laatste track zoekt wel echt de grens op van wat ik kan hebben, maar prima.
8/10 Very good but slightly the same throughout Favourite Song=Unfair Least Favourite Song=Stop Breathing
Pavement was the ultimate American indie rock bank of the 1990s, and this one has some classics, like Cut Your Hair, Gold Soundz and Range Life. Such a Gen X touchstone that I actually know two different people who titled their blogs "Range Life." Back in the day I was so enamored of the LP before this, Slanted and Enchanted, that I avoided listening to this one for several years for fear of being disappointed, which was not easy to do working in a record store. Once I could approach it with some emotional distance I grew to really love it. I have a feeling that they will get lost to history, but to a certain set of lonely nerds, they touched a nerve.
Hadn't heard this before. Interesting songs, well-done though not quite as melodic as I like my rock. I listened to it over two days and feel I need to listen to it again to really get my head around it.
This album is a bit cleaner and more polished than their last one, but it still retains that raw indie sound. One cool thing about Pavement is their ability to build up their music to where it gets a little loud and noisy, yet they still maintain a laid-back and calm vibe throughout the entire album.
A surprisingly decent album. I knew pavement, but thought I really only knew Cut Your Hair. The album doesn't start off great, but by the end of the album I found myself thoroughly enjoying it. Good album.
Really enjoyed that. Almost post rock vibes
On est en 1994. Kurt Cobain vient de se tirer une balle dans le caisson, laissant une génération entière orpheline, le coeur lourd et les Doc Martens crottées. La scène musicale, c'est Seattle : la flanelle, la sueur, l'angoisse existentielle hurlée dans des micros saturés, la pluie, la grisaille, la putain de grisaille. Le grunge a tout défoncé sur son passage, transformant la frustration adolescente en un business de plusieurs millions de dollars. Le rock était en deuil et un peu complaisant dans sa propre misère. Et puis, il y avait Pavement, et il faut se remettre dans le contexte. Au milieu de ce maelstrom de guitares lourdes et de cris déchirants venus du Nord-Ouest américain, a surgi une bande de branleurs californiens qui semblaient n'en avoir absolument rien à carrer de tout ça. Pas de pose torturée, pas de Rickenbacker prête à être fracassée contre un ampli, pas de textes sur le mal-être profond d'une jeunesse perdue. Non. Juste des mélodies pop tordues, un son de guitare faussement négligé, et des paroles qui slalomaient entre l'absurde, le génie poétique et le foutage de gueule intégral. Pavement, c'était le contre-pied parfait, celui du sourire en coin face à la grimace tragique. Leur premier album, "Slanted and Enchanted", était une pépite lo-fi, un trésor cradingue pour initiés, le genre de disque que tu te refilais sous le manteau quand tu bossais dans un shop indé, en mode "écoute ça, c'est le futur". C'était génial, mais c'était un secret bien gardé. Avec "Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain", le secret allait s'éventer. Ne vous méprenez pas, on n'est pas passé chez les majors du jour au lendemain. Le son est plus propre, c'est indéniable. On sent que le groupe a passé un peu plus de temps en studio, que le budget n'était plus limité à trois packs de bière et un paquet de clopes. Le son est moins "sale" que sur le précédent, mais paradoxalement, il gagne une puissance redoutable. C'est le son d'un groupe qui a compris qu'on pouvait avoir des mélodies dignes des Kinks ou de Big Star sans pour autant sonner comme un juke-box propret. Cet album, c'est la bande-son d'un été sans fin à traîner sur un parking, à refaire le monde avec des potes, une bière tiède à la main. C'est décontracté en surface, mais incroyablement intelligent dans le fond. Stephen Malkmus, le leader-chanteur-guitariste-glandeur en chef, a ce talent unique pour écrire des hooks imparables qui ont l'air d'avoir été trouvés par accident. Sa voix, cette nonchalance étudiée, comme s'il venait de se réveiller et qu'il chantait en bâillant, est une insulte à tous les chanteurs à "performance" de l'époque. Et putain, qu'est-ce que c'est bon. On pense bien sûr à "Cut Your Hair", le "tube" de l'album. Un single parfait, avec son refrain ironique sur les exigences de l'industrie musicale, qui a même eu les honneurs de MTV. Pour beaucoup, c'était la porte d'entrée, mais le coeur de l'album, son âme, se trouve ailleurs. Il est dans la beauté mélancolique et ensoleillée de "Gold Soundz", probablement l'un des plus grands hymnes indie des années 90. Il est dans la fausse naïveté de "Silence Kit". Et puis, il y a "Range Life". Ah, "Range Life"... Le morceau qui a cristallisé tout ce qu'était Pavement. Une balade faussement country, traînante, magnifique, au milieu de laquelle Malkmus, l'air de rien, balance un tacle les deux pieds décollés aux deux têtes de gondole du rock alternatif de l'époque : Smashing Pumpkins et Stone Temple Pilots. "I don't understand what they mean / And I could really give a fuck". Le tout dit avec un tel détachement, une telle supériorité tranquille... C'était d'une arrogance sublime. C'était la déclaration d'indépendance d'un groupe qui refusait de jouer le jeu, qui se savait plus malin, plus cool, et qui n'avait même pas besoin de le crier. Pour nous, les gosses nés au début des années 70, qui avions grandi avec le post-punk et qui voyions le rock alternatif se transformer en une grosse machine un peu trop sérieuse, Pavement c'était une bouffée d'air frais. Une bouffée de cet air chaud et sec de la Californie. Ils nous rappelaient que le rock pouvait être fun, intelligent, ironique et touchant, tout ça en même temps, sans avoir besoin de se prendre pour Rimbaud sous héro. Alors pourquoi un 4 sur 5 et pas la note parfaite ? Peut-être parce que la perfection, chez Pavement, est une notion suspecte. "Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain" est un album fantastique, un compagnon de route indispensable, une borne kilométrique de la musique des années 90. Mais il garde cette distance, cette nonchalance qui, si elle fait toute sa force, l'empêche peut-être d'atteindre les sommets de l'émotion pure. Mais est-ce vraiment ce qu'on lui demande ? Non. On lui demande d'être le disque le plus cool de la décennie. Et ça, il y arrive sans même forcer.
Personal enjoyment: 4/5 Relevance to this list: 4/5
4.0
Pavement son una banda esencial de la música de los años 90. Herederos de The Replacements y Pixies, lideraron (a su pesar) una escuela que tuvo en Guided by Voices o Sebadoh a otros de sus puntales (aquí tuvimos a los inigualables Penelope trip, entre otros). En cierta forma fueron o buscaron lo contrario a lo que lograron Nirvana y el resto de bandas grunge. Su debut fue sensacional, este segundo disco también, y aunque sus posteriores trabajos son más elaborados no pierden el nivel. Supieron disolverse a tiempo y dejaron un legado inmaculado, algo que muy pocos pueden presentar. Incluye dos de sus temas más conocidos como son el éxito Cut your hair o Range Life (de la que Billy Corgan no guarda buen recuerdo). Crooked rain, crooked rain abre con Silence Kid , un trallazo fenomenal. Stop breathing pasa al Post-Rock Newark Wilder podría ser un boceto de algo mejor. Unfair es algo estupendo. Gold Soundz suena de maravilla. 5-4= Unity es una marcianada genial. Hit the plane down aporta algo de noise y el cierre con Fillmore Jive es una auténtica maravilla. Otros discos de una de las mejores cosechas que ha dado la música, 1994: BLUR: Parklife, PORTISHEAD: Dummy, MANO NEGRA: Casa Babylon, SUEDE: Dog Man Star, NAS: Illmatic, OASIS: Definitely Maybe, NEIL YOUNG: Sleeps With Angels, AMERICAN MUSIC CLUB: San Francisco, R.E.M.: Monster, HOLE: Live Through This, JEFF BUCKLEY: Grace, MASSIVE ATTACK: Protection, THE AUTERS: Now I’m A Cowboy, NICK CAVE & THE BAD SEEDS: Let Love In, JOHNNY CASH: American Recordings, SEBADOH: Bakesale, UNDERWORLD: Dubnobasswithmyheadman, STONE ROSES: Second Coming, BECK: Mellow Gold, MARK LANEGAN: Whiskey For The Holy Ghost, TOM PETTY: Wildflowers, THE BEASTIE BOYS: Ill Comunication, KRISTIN HERSH: Hips And Makers, SABRES OF PARADISE: Haunted Dancehall, JON SPENCER BLUES EXPLOSION: Orange, NIRVANA: Unplugged In New York, ALI FARKA TOURE & RY COODER: Talking Timbuktu, PULP: His’n’Hers, THE PRODIGY: Music For The Gilted Generation, VERUCA SALT: American Thighs, THE WALKABOUTS: Satisfied Ma, MANIC STREET PREACHERS: The Holy bible, Elvis Costello: Brutal Youth, The Offspring- Smash,
Long live Bob!
Really quite enjoyed this - American version of pixies 7/10
Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain tracks in order from best to worst: 1. Gold Soundz 2. Range Life 3. Silence Kid 4. Cut Your Hair 5. Elevate Me Later 6. Stop Breathin 7. Fillmore Jive 8. Heaven is a Truck 9. Newark Wilder 10. Unfair 11. 5-4=Unity 12. Hit the Plane Down
I think this is one of those times where I realize that there's some music that just isn't for me because I'm not someone who really listens to lyrics much. I was getting the vibe that it had good lyricism in the way that someone who doesn't know a lot of technical info about music might hear something complex and be like yes hmm sounds very impressive even if I don't know why... I know this is odd because I do in fact speak English and should be able to understand the level of intellect of lyrics in English but alas. I do feel like this is one of those cases where I’m close to being able to connect with the lyrics so maybe upon a relisten it would strike me more, and the last song was really great especially!! A really perfect album ending actually. The music itself was good although I struggled to adjust to how his voice sounds at the beginning. But by the end I didn't mind it as much and I was just happy he was expressing himself with what God gave him <3 so thank you mr. pavement that was overall a pretty enjoyable experience.
Great album
Ah! A band I've seen! I went into this album thinking "well this'll be fun". And it was! But I guess I never paid any mind to the lyrics because man, there are some sad/longing songs on this album. I like extremely sad lyrics to fun, upbeat instrumental, so this was a nice surprise. But I'm not entirely convinced that this isn't just a fun album... Favorite song(s): Range Life, Cut Your Hair (duh) Least favorite song: Hit the Plane Down Knew before? sorta
7/10. In my opinion, the music is sick, but the album isn't too memorable. :)
I never got into Pavement when this was released. I like Cut Your Hair, just never listened to them much.
pretty goddamn good and definitely in the running for my favorite pavement album highlights: silence kid, cut your hair, gold soundz (dec 9 2023)
i used to be very annoyed by pavement, but now i think they're decent!
I've listened to Slanted & Enchanted, but never this one. Stop Breathin is great -- melancholy chords and out of tune singing make me think of Alex G fused with Modest Mouse (particularly Sleepwalking). Cut Your Hair sounds like something that would have played in the background of some 90s/00s comedy movie. Solid song in its own right. Newark Wilder also has a familiar element to it, tapping into the melancholy tone again -- I enjoy the rough edges here. Solid all around indie rock. I can imagine the vocals not being everyone's cup of tea, but I enjoyed their imperfection and how it compliments the minor / messiness of the rest of the mix. Not my favorite album by any means, but something I could listen to end over end without getting bored. 4 / 5
I'm immediately hearing Weezer from the first few songs. Stop Breathin' is an early standout. 5-4=Unity is a different one but welcome. This seems like a mix between some raw stuff and some well put together stuff. Still seems like a less polished Blue album which I appreciate it.
4/5
Solid 4. Just a very good album. Also it extra nice because yesterday was my and my gf’s anniversary and our fourth date was a Pavement concert :)
I think this might be my favourite album of the ones I’ve been introduced to in this process of listening to all 1001 albums. I don’t think I have heard any Pavement songs in my life before this, but it’s amazing. I really enjoy this style of music. I can hear both Pixies and Arcade Fire in this. So it’s kind of a middle thing between the two bands, which is just perfect.
Went in with zero exepctations and ended up with this funky indie - there was even a moment of jazz for a sec there. It feels right for my return to the grey skies and streets up north. Now, as the last track aptly says, I need to sleep :)
If MAGA was referring to the period when Pavement strode the Earth it might be something I could get behind. Sadly that's not the case. America is fucked. But at the very least they gave us Pavement for a bit. Good album. Stand out tracks: - Cut your hair - Range life - 5-4=unity
I know Harness Your Hopes from these guys, but that’s it. Good album. Liked the whiny delivery, but the lyrics were hit or miss at times. Standouts: Elevate Me Later, Stop Breathin, Gold Soundz, Range Life, and Fillmore Jive.
A great album which grows on you with each listen. I didn't pay much attention to it back in the day - but it is very popular with my kids' circles (ie around 20 y.o.).
i liked it ngl
Pavement are exactly the kind of band you'd think I'd like, but for some reason they never really clicked for me before. Until now, that is; this was really great, and I now get Pavement. Not sure why it took until now.
Pretty great guitar rock with a damaged world view and detox cell vocals.
That was fun! Pavement was such a refreshing and unique voice when I was growing up and finding myself, and deciding what I liked in terms of music. I first heard this a few years after it came out. it did not exactly sell millions in the small provincial French town I grew up in: I think the number of people I knew who listened stands at exactly two. This brings me back to that time where if you found someone who liked to the same music they would almost become family. There is some complexity to the songs, although they are played in a very primitive way. They are also better musicians than they are sometimes given credit for. Stephen Malkmus as a songwriter really captures something of his generation's atmosphere: the limited possibilities, the boredom, the constrained dreams and aspirations, the melancholy, the weirdness of the mainstream, and its pull, too... The 90s, in a nutshell.
So here we have Pavement. Music critics and aging Hipsters will tell you this is the pinnacle of alternative music in the 1990s. They are wrong. this is a solid album, an 8 out of 10, but they should’ve just tried a little bit harder. Nice Stone Temple Pilots and Smashing Pumpkins diss, though.
I went on a run in the 90° heat. I ran mostly on sidewalks, but now I’m hooked on Pavement. This album started all reminding me of dinosaur Junior, and then sounded like Guster in the end, I just really enjoyed it. I’m pretty sure it carried my old butt the whole way.
A special new band
Great band Pavement, probably my fav album by them 'strong 8/10'
PAVEMENT / CROOKED RAIN CROOKD RAIN Rock alternativo de altura con un aire a country-rock crudo y sin aliño envuelto en continuas extensas idas y venidas sonoras. En este sentido destaca "Range Life". Pero "Cut Your Hair" es el gran tema de este disco, una canción plena de ironía contra la superficialidad de la industria musical y con un gran gancho pop. También destacaría "Gold Soundz" y la desbocada y ruidosa "Unfair. Así como el arranque del álbum, "Silence Kid", que comienza dese el caos sonoro hasta llevarns a una exuberante canción pop californiana.
Super good. Somewhere between 3 and 4.
Pretty into this! It comes across at first as super slapped together or low effort but on the second listen you start to hear the details and little melodies throughout the songs. Just a really fun listen. 7/10
Another album I cannot rate with any degree of objectivity, as it was a very frequent listen for very many years. I love how it works as an album.
I like a good 90s indie rock album. This delivered, although I didn't think it was the most innovative album ever. Still, it was enjoyable.
De la musique alternative quasi intemporelle, accrocheuse sans être racoleuse, s'écoute toujours aussi bien 30 ans plus tard. J'imagine que ce groupe a eu une bonne influence sur la musique qui a suivi
- is this what emo was in the 90s - no surprise I really liked the vibes on this album, a good blend of whiney and rocky - 4.5
- woah this is cool - definitely indie rock but you can tell it’s still the grunge generation - if this came out today it would be considered emo
Great new find for me! I knew the song Cut Your Hair but somehow didn’t realize it was Pavement. They manage somehow to sound industrial and melodic at the same time. It’s a good sign when I immediately listen to the entire album on repeat.
Enjoyed this one a fair amount, though it was not necessarily my favorite. My preferred track on this listen: "Cut Your Hair" (which reminds me, I need to cut my hair).
could be a 5 in future probably needs more listens sorry buddy
hit the plane down aka. the adults are talking - the strokes other than that, amazing old school indie sound. I added cut your hair to the rock playlist and it has potential to grow on me heavily. every other song was ..... hold on im listening to filmore jive right now and it just bumped my rating to a strong 4. lllllllllllll CONSIDER REVISITING lllllllllllllllllll
The sound of suburban slackerdom, innit, with perhaps slightly too many Dinosaur Jr-esque vibes to be considered wholly original. The link to / influence of The Fall should also not be overlooked. “Elevate Me Later” is classic, a personal Pavement fave. And “Cut Your Hair” is their best song, bar none. “Range Life” is very good, too. Some songs seem midpoints between dark/menacing and pure ennui (“Stop Breathin,” “Newark Wilder,” “Hit the Plane Down”). The questions remain of course: Do they care or are they too cool to care? Is it all irony or is there any sincerity? There’s no question about their jadedness. And it’s certainly cool, though one’s always resisted liking the bands one felt one was supposed or expected to like. Plus there’s the sense of their being a bit too impressed with their own cheekiness/cleverness – hence the aloofness and being above it all. The closer, “Fillmore Jive” is perfectly fitting, with its lazy, discordant sort of grandeur; in other words, it’s completely on brand. Seems a harbinger of their late tiredness, which was always going to happen, an inevitability, really. Their latest live shows did little to lessen that impression or resolve any of these sincerity-or-all-irony-all-the-time questions though it did confirm that the mascot dude is more worthless-annoying than ever.
Yeah, Pavement rule B
Cool album
This album is tough because I really want to like it, and at times I really do. However, I loved Pavement's first album so much, and this one just doesn't hit me the same, and it never has. It has some awesome Pavement songs, though, and that's worth something 4/5
Not generally a big fan of pavement but this album kicks ass. Melodic, catchy, a hard round the edges - had a good time with it.
I wasn’t familiar with this but enjoyed it quite a bit. Favorite tracks included Cut Your Hair, Gold Soundz, and Range Life.
Pre listen: In college, I think my Pavement album of choice was Brighten the Corners. For the last few years, it’s been Slanted and Enchanted. This one, despite having perhaps my two favorite Pavement songs (cut your hair and gold soundz—Pitchfork’s best song of the 90s) has never been tops in the rotation. So, I am generally unfamiliar and look forward to it.
3.5 probs
Y'know, I've seen some talk this is the best album of the 90's, from the best band on the 90's. Like, that's a damn claim coming from the same decade that gave us Nirvana's NEVERMIND, Oasis's WHAT'S THE STORY (MORNING GLORY?), Radiohead's OK COMPUTER, Weird Al's BAD HAIR DAY and so many more. What makes this road material so great? And I didn't go into this album with the predisposed derision that question would imply, but it was still on my mind. What **did** make so many critics claim this thing's greatness? I can't claim a defnitive answer. Frankly, no one can, but that's besides the point. All I can speak on is the moment I got the closest glimpse to what they were talking about—without reading what they actually said, anyway. I was listening to "Range Life" for the third time 'cuz I kept missing the verse where the band disses The Smashing Pumpkins, and during an instrumentral break, I closed my eyes and asked myself: "What decade does this come from?" Does this **actually** sound like a 90's album? Or is it more 70's? 60's? 2000's? I couldn't exactly pin down what decade it sounded like. Stark constrast to a lot of the other albums I've heard so far, even the ones I love more, with all my soul. INNERVISIONS and ABBEY ROAD are masterpieces of their time, but in a lot of spots they kinda sound like their time. Not in a bad way, of course; but there's just moments where I can point to and be like "That's the 60's/70's." Meanwhile, y'look at "Range Life", and the mentions of The Smashing Pumpkins and Stone Temple Pilots aside, I'd be hard pressed. I didn't relisten to any of the rest of the album after that, so I can't say how much the rest of it holds up to that, but at least from what I remember about side two (that's the one I listened to twice)... "Fillmore Jive" especially, I tell you. Wuuf. So, do I agree with the critics? No, I don't think so. But can I at least understand where they're coming from? Eh, enough, I'd say.
I really don't have much of anything to say except that this is an excellent bit of 90's Alternative.
Favourite song - Gold soundz
I was excited to listen through this again. Really good all around and I’ll come back sooner rather than later this time (3.5/5)
I really enjoyed this album. Alt Rock that was just fun to listen to. Right amount of anger and build up but not too much. Most songs had awesome bridges that really enhanced the song. Some felt so different the rest is the song but also so right.
I like Pavement, yes I do. I have a few of their albums in my collection but this is the first time I've heard this one. It's pretty good. I like this band. I don't care what the ghost of Buddy Holly says.
This shoulda been a 90s hit like Nirvana, Smashing Pumpkins, et al. So sorry I didn’t know them when they were more relevant. But enjoyable anyway.
Very much the sound I identify with the 90s. Love the ending of the album.