[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Slanted and Enchanted by Pavement (April 20, 1992)"]
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Okay, I've got to be honest. This is the first album that I actually hated on this list. Its brutal. Its the epitomy of music I don't like. There are raging guitars interspersed in various tracks on the album that don't sound properly tuned, the vocals don't match with the instrumentation - the sound is different, the pitch is off, and they just don't mix well.
Track Listing
- Summer Babe (Winter Version)
- Trigger Cut/Wounded-Kite at :17
- No Life Singed Her
- In The Mouth A Desert
- Conduit For Sale!
- Zurich Is Stained
- Loretta's Scars
- Here
- Two States
- Perfume-V
- Fame Throwa
- Jackals, False Grails: The Lonesome Era
- Our Singer
- Chesley's Little Wrists
So this is an interesting challenge to articulate why I dislike this album so much. My instant reaction is just to keep switching over every track (because I think they sound awful). Kind of like the sound that might happen if a 12 year old beginner played guitar with a cat screeching in the background. Oh and the 12 year old's friend tries to play guitar with him, and it just sounds bad and chaotic.
Does that explain to you how much I dislike this album?
The first track that sounds "okay" to me (except for the cheesy cymbal crashes every eight beats...brutal) is 'Here'. And by okay, I mean it doesn't make me want to scream and run through a glass door. Is that too much?
Oh wait, I don't mind "Two States" either, but it still doesn't have a really cohesive sound to it. Maybe that's why this album did so well and was listed on the RS500? Because its sound is unique compared to anything else? I don't know. I never liked alternative music when I was young, so maybe this just sounds like the alternative music of the 90s that I detested. But maybe not, because now I actually do like some alternative music.
I like music that has some sense of cohesion - the elements go together, even if it sounds chaotic, harmony exists amongst the noise. And that is NOT what I hear in this album.
Look, I wouldn't want to piss anyone off or insult the band (clearly if the record is in the top 150 albums of all time, then it can't be that bad...right?) but I wouldn't recommend you listen to this album. Unless you want to be tortured. (Wait, one more song is redeeming this album, just a bit..."Our Singer")
I don't want to talk about this album anymore, so I'm going to finish this post. But if you have thoughts about this or disagree with me, please...share them. I'd love to understand why this is supposedly good enough to be on the list of the greatest albums of all time.
Time to move on from this...oh but wait. First I'll delete this BS from my iTunes library.
Comments (9)
Jeff on January 16, 2016
Pavement is one of the most influencial bands of independant music, besides maybe the Pixies and Sonic Youth…but it is not for the masses. If your looking for more production and less lo-fi, check out Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain (also listed on 210 on the RS list) I personally like it better myself, although a more mature band at this point and more accessable to all, their original sound is still present and Stephen Malkmus is still out of tune..I love it. They actually even has some hits off this album (Cut You Hair)
bparon on January 16, 2016
Jeff, thanks for your comments man! I dig the Pixies, I dig Sonic Youth, but I really hated this album. Haha! I can appreciate the fact that it was significant for independent alternative music, but I just didn’t like it. I might check out Crooked Rain too and see what I think. It’s no that I want something that is more produced and less lo-fi, I really like that sound, but I listened to the album and didn’t think it had a good, cohesive sound. But maybe I just don’t get it. Haha!!
Jeff on January 16, 2016
Yeah, Pavement is def a band that you either love or hate, I actually use to not to get it either. All my roomates in Uni were so into them and I couldn’t get it, and all these bands today are so passonate about them (the National for example cover them and talk about their influence all the time)…and then I listened to Crooked Rain…and then just started loving it …Listen to ‘Stop Breathing’ from it, among others (Cut Your Hair, Gold Soundz, Range Life)…it’s great..liking this 150 list, I do the same thing (minus actually writing a blog ha) but with Pitchforkmedia. They have a tops list for each decades on their site from 1970-2010…great source of music information, a little pretentious & imposing, but ya.
bparon on January 16, 2016
awesomeeeee…thanks man! I will definitely check them out. And I know, what’s been really interesting is bands like Pavement and The Replacements, everyone raves about and says are super influential. But its great, because I think hard about the music and really try to understand what it is that people are so influenced by. Thanks for the tip about pitchforkmedia!!!
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