Pavement - Brighten the Corners: Nicene Creedence Edition (2xCD, 1997/2008)

I went through a phase where this was the only album I listened to for like a year. Or at least it felt like a year. Maybe six months. Whatever the length of time was, it was significant. I fell hard for Brighten the Corners, and I've never looked back. If you catch me in the right moment, I might even argue that it's their strongest record.

In the whole scheme of things, this is usually viewed as the "return to form" record after the weirdness that was Wowee Zowee. I don't really see it like that, because much of Brighten is just as goofy, warbly, and scatterbrained as the record that preceded it. But, it somehow feels more focused, and really does work better as a whole record.

This is Pavement after the fast start, after the rollercoaster ascension, and after the awkward album that may or may not have been intentionally so to scare off fairweather fans. Wowee Zowee seemed to wipe the slate clean, and Brighten the Corners finds the band sounding more comfortable than ever. "Stereo" is about as playful (it seriously borders on dicking around) as they ever got, and used as the opener here, it seems to want to set the tone for a freewheeling collection of songs. "Shady Lane" is almost as fun-loving, but "Transport is Arranged" is thick and semi-dark, a song that threatens to trudge but never does. I love that song.

Two of my other favorite Pavement songs of all time are on this disc, the explosive "Embassy Row" and the shatteringly beautiful "We Are Underused," which features a melody that I can never shake. The lyrics are as spaced-out as ever (this was the first record where a lot of Malkmus' lyrics seem to make no sense no matter which way you spin them), but it makes no difference. The song is huge, and ushers in the last third of the record, which is always better than I remember it being.

Spiral Stairs has two tracks on this record ("Date w/ Ikea" and "Passat Dream"), and they're both pretty good. His voice just can't always hack it, and though he tries to sound as intentionally fuck-all as Malkmus, it never quite works as well. Whatever: his songs are upbeat on this record, while Malkmus is often in slow mode. "Type Slowly" and the wonderful "Old to Begin" are both slow-but-awesome, and so are a lot of the other tracks on this album. Awww - Pavement was growing up.

So, like I said, there was a time when this was the Pavement record for me. I had such a boner for "Embassy Row" (still do) that I used to listen to this record solely to hear that song. And then I realized that I love every other song on this thing. And then I had to take a break from it because I was listening to it way too much.

But by the time the deluxe edition came out, I was ready to get back into it. And get back into it I did. The bonus material on this one is on par with the previously re-released records, and features some really great stuff. Some of it requires explanation, like, "why are there two versions of "The Hexx" when that song was on their next record, not this one?" and "Why are the b-sides for the "Spit on a Stranger" single included on this release when that song was also on their next record?" The answer is usually the same, and always a great one: The people who put these collections together are incredibly meticulous about keeping things era-appropriate, and they always go by when things were recorded, not when they were released. Man, I love that sort of attention to detail.

The bonus material is a lot to sift through (more radio performances, another Peel Session, a gang of outtakes), but it's almost all worth it. There's a ton of previously unreleased stuff, and again, having all the b-sides collected in one place is great. Matador also did a super-sweet Buy Early Get Now deal for this record, which included two extra tracks and a live LP. You know I got on board with that shit.

"Stereo"

I Went to a Show: Best Kissers in the World at Slabtown (May 21, 2010)

Best Kissers in the World were a band that had come and gone. I had accepted that. I never saw them in the 90's, and I missed my chance. This upset me, because I love the band's music, and it wasn't even like I got into them too late. I bought their first Sub Pop EP and loved the shit out of it. Still: never got to see them live, and the idea of a Best Kissers reunion seemed highly unlikely.

Well, dreams do come true, my friends. The band is back together, and I was lucky enough to see their very first reunion set at Slabtown on Friday night. They didn't go on until almost 1:30, playing last on a four-band bill, and it made for a long evening as the wife and I got there around 9:30 because we wanted to see the opening band (Stan McMahon Band playing as a rare power trio). Of course, they didn't go on until 10:30, and then we had to sit through two other bands who weren't really our thing. (Stan was awesome as usual.)

So, yes, it was late by the time the Kissers finally took the stage. I'm not gonna lie: there weren't a ton of people there. But the people who stuck around were there to see the band, and they knew it. The group seemed really excited to be there, and the show did not disappoint. In fact, it was better than I thought it would be, and I was planning on it being really good.

Best Kissers always had a rotating lineup of band members, with Gerald Collier being the only one who was always there. Still, it's worth mentioning that this incarnation of the band does not have any original members except Gerald. While I usually poo-poo things like this, I don't really care in this situation. (To be honest, I never really knew who any of the dudes in the band were except for Gerald, with the exception of Danny Bland, but that's just because he used to be connected to the Supersuckers.) Here's an explanation I found online from the new bass player:

It's a new Portland-based lineup. Gerald got permission from previous members (now spread about the country with families, careers, etc.) to put it back together with local friends. Lineup is:

Gerald Collier - Lead vocals and guitar
Mark Kent - Lead guitar and backing vocals
Andy Nelsen (me) - Bass and backing vocals
Kevin Byers - Drums

Mark is a Portland boy who has been playing in original bands in PDX for 20+ years. Kevin and I played in a band called Capsule based in San Francisco in the '90s and we were also the original rhythm section for the Mother Truckers, who are alive and well in Austin.

Anybody who follows the band knows that there have been quite a few players over the years and that Gerald is the only constant, but we are all big fans and we love playing together (Kev and I have been playing together for 15+ years), so we are stoked to be playing with Gerald, especially songs we've enjoyed from the outside over the years and the potential we see in future writing.

It's all about rock and roll. If that's cheezy then I'm cheezy. We love to play and we're playing what we love, and that is the extent of the game plan at this point!

So far we have Slabtown on May 21, Tractor Tavern in Seattle on July 30, and Dante's on July 31 with a few other unconfirmed dates we're working on.

So, that's the deal with that. The guitar player could have fooled me. Dude was a beast, and had the solos down, note-for-note. And the rest of the band sounded great, as well. There were a few hiccups here and there, but they were minor. For a first show, it was fantastic.

Because I am a nerd, I kept track of the setlist. Here it is.

"Slightly Used"
"Countin' Out Dexedrine"
"Hit Parader"
"Melanie"
"Lonely Enough to Lie"
"Worried About It"
"Broke My Knee"
"Smoke Rings"
"Miss Teen U.S.A."
"Roadside Attraction"
New Song ("Thank You"?)
New Song ("C'mon"?)
"Vicodine"
"Pickin' Flowers For"

Not sure about those new ones.

That's the best picture I got up there, because my phone has no flash. Better one here that's not mine, and more on BKITW's FB page.

They're playing again in July. I'll be there.

Pavement - Wowee Zowee (2xLP, 1995)/Wowee Zowee: Sordid Sentinels Edition (2xCD, 2006)

I've never really agreed with the all-too-common sentiment that Wowee Zowee is Pavement's most "experimental" record. It's maybe their most inconsistent, but they don't really do anything here that they didn't already do (in part, at least) on their first two records. Stephen Malkmus says in the Slow Century DVD that he - and I'm not going to get this word-for-word - "may have been smoking too much grass" during the writing and recording of this record. It's hard to tell if he's kidding or not, but when you listen to this LP, that assessment doesn't seem completely far-fetched.

Over the years, Wowee Zowee has gained the reputation as the most difficult Pavement record to wrap one's head around, but you've got to remember that that's a distillation that's mainly critic-driven, and definitely isn't universally accepted by hardcore proponents of the group. I've heard a lot of Pavement fanatics declare undying devotion to this record, even calling it their favorite. And while Pavement fans are certainly the type to try and out-cool each other, I'm sure there are a good amount who are completely sincere. Also: comparing almost anything to the first two Pavement albums isn't a fair fight. If this had been the band's first album, you can bet that people would have been pissing themselves over it. The group had just set the bar so high by this point, they really had almost nowhere left to go.

So don't let anyone tell you this isn't a great album. Because it is. And while there are some weird-ass songs on here, this album also contains some of the bands most accessible material. "We Dance," "Rattled By the Rush," and "Father to a Sister of Thought" are all catchy as heck, and found their way onto many mixtapes that I made in the mid-90's. And I can attest to the fact that finicky chicks dug it. That's when you know you're doing something right.

Other tracks, like "Grounded" and "AT&T" might not be as immediately hummable, but they'll grow on you quick. Just let 'em. I mentioned before that this was the first Pavement record that I really got into, and though it may not have been the ideal one for my real introduction to the band, it threw so many styles at me that when I went back and listened to their earlier stuff, it clicked with me instantly because it was all much more focused and, by comparison, somewhat cohesive. Wowee Zowee is, for all the great music it contains, jumbled in its execution. For some, that's a great thing. I've learned to enjoy that aspect of it, but this album has been my favorite Pavement record far fewer times than any of the other ones.

As with the previous two Pavement albums that had been reissued at this point, this one is jam-packed with extra tracks. This deluxe edition is a beast, and it contains a lot of stuff from the Wowee era, about half of which had never been released before. Not sure if I mentioned it before, but Pavement were great when it came to putting out singles and including non-album tracks on them. (Stephen Malkmus continues to do this, and it is awesome.) So, there were probably a lot of hardcore fanboys who's collections of import 12"s were instantly devalued when these reissues hit the streets, but for the rest of us, it's great to have all the b-sides assembled in one place.

So there's a handful of cuts from the "Rattled By the Rush" and "Father to a Sister of Thought" singles, as well as some other outtakes from the album's recording sessions. There's also compilation tracks (their version of the Descendent's "It's a Hectic World" is dicey at best), some stellar radio sessions, and a bunch of other randomness of varied quality.

This one is really for the hardcore Pavement fans. The eight-minute early version of "Fight this Generation" alone will make your girlfriend hate you. But as usual, the good outweighs the iffy. There are some real lost gems on this thing, and it's fitting for an album that might be one itself. Don't write this one off, and don't believe everything you hear about it. It's Pavement in the mid-90's for cryin' out loud. How bad can it be?

"Rattled By the Rush"

Pavement - Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain: LA's Desert Origins (2xCD, 1994/2004)

I long ago gave up on having a favorite Pavement album. I can think of as many reasons why this one is my favorite as I can for Slanted and Enchanted. And for a while, I was convinced that Brighten the Corners was the best one. It really depends on which one I'm listening to at the time.

Pavement's sophomore record is just as good as their first one, and definitely more accessible. The recording quality has improved vastly, and Stephen Malkmus' knack for melody comes through even clearer. Songs like "Gold Soundz," "Unfair," and "Elevate Me Later" are some of the best songs the band ever recorded. This was the golden age of Pavement. Crooked Rain, like their debut, doesn't have a bad song on it. "Fillmore Jive" is a bit much, but as a closer, it works perfectly. It's a nice finish, a great topper for the perfection that proceeds it. Talk about your great sophomore records. If anyone wondered if Pavement was going to be a one-off, they got silenced by this album.

People tend to remember this album for the almost-hit that was "Cut Your Hair" and the Billy Corgan/Stone Temple Pilot disses that overshadow the beauty of "Range Life," but there's obviously much more to it. "Stop Breathin'" and "Heaven is a Truck" are both starkly beautiful songs, and much less straightforward than the band's previous slow-jam, "Here." It's not that Malkmus' songwriting has improved by leaps and bounds - it's more a sensible maturing that continues to this day. Every album he puts out - both with Pavement and solo - seems like the next logical step in his songwriting. And so it is with Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain: It still sounds like the Pavement from S&E, but it's not a sequel. It's a whole new thing that retains the key elements of what came before. (They also had a new drummer and recorded the album as a full band this time around.)

I think this album is a great place to start if you're looking to get into Pavement. S&E can be initially off-putting, but on this one, when "Silence Kit" gets rolling, you'll be hooked. Sure, it sounds a lot like "Everyday" by Buddy Holly, but that's part of its charm. And by the time you reach the one-two punch of "Unfair" and "Gold Soundz," there's no turning back. For a lot of people, this is the definitive Pavement record. I don't think it's possible to really pinpoint one to cram into that category, but if you had to, this one ain't a bad choice.

For the consummate fanboy, this deluxe edition is overflowing with extras. I'm pretty sure the entire second disc is previously unreleased material, and there are eight songs on it that were recorded after S&E but before Gary Young left the band. So if you're a Young fan (and aren't we all?), these are some incredible tracks to hear. There's also some early versions of songs that would end up on the next record (Wowee Zowee), alternate versions of songs from Crooked Rain (most with vastly different lyrics), another Peel Session, and just shit-ton of other ephemera. It's a Pavement nerd's dream. Some of it is rough, but I never have any problem listening to this thing all the way through.

My favorite Pavement record? It has been. It could be tomorrow. It's really, really good.

"Gold Soundz"

Pavement - Westing (By Musket & Sextant) (CD, 1993)

And you thought Pavement was lo-fi on Slanted and Enchanted.

Before S&E dropped, Pavement released three EP's and the single for "Summer Babe." They put out their first release (Slay Tracks (1933-1969)) themselves, but the other stuff (including Demolition Plot J-7 and Perfect Sound Forever) was released on Drag City. The label collected those releases and ended up making a really nice compilation of Pavement's early output. It's a weird mix of stuff, but definitely essential for the Pavement fan. I need to someday buy the actual EPs on vinyl, but they ain't cheap. And I already have the music. You see my dilemma.

The stuff from Slay Tracks is, while being fairly shittily recorded, great. "You're Killing Me" is notable for not having any drums on it, though there is this weird tape hiss in the background that somehow seems percussion-y. "Box Elder" was the first song that got the band recognized, and it's one of the catchier tracks on this whole comp. The other tracks from the EP are awesomely noisy, and always border on sweet abrasiveness. Feel the angst.

The tracks from Demolition Plot J-7 are blazing noise, but they inch ever closer to what would become the Pavement sound. "Forklift" is probably the best track of the bunch, but that shouldn't take anything away from the spazzy fun of "Spizzle Trunk" and "Internal K-Dart."

Perfect Sound Forever is where shit gets really exciting. "From Now On" is more cohesive than the early stuff, and "Debris Slide" is purely awesome. But it's "Home" that really makes it all come together, and ends up being the last real song (the clanky rattle of "Krell-Vid User" doesn't really count) before everything busts open with "Summer Babe." Like I said, that single is included here, too, but that stuff also ends up on the deluxe edition of S&E.

Though this is indeed the earliest Pavement stuff, you may be tempted to start at the beginning if you've never heard the band before. I would advise against that, but that's just me. The songs here can be rough. But if you like Slanted and Enchanted, you'll find stuff to like here.

"Debris Slide"

Pavement - Slanted and Enchanted (LP, 1992)/Slanted and Enchanted: Luxe & Reduxe (2xCD, 2002)

I bought Slanted and Enchanted for my girlfriend in high school. I kept reading in Spin about how great it was, and it sounded like something she would like. Of course, being the selfish and broke teen that I was, I also wanted to hear it myself and this was my roundabout way of getting that done. Man, I was an idiot.

I remember her putting the CD in her little boom box in her bedroom, and when "Summer Babe (Winter Version)" chortled forth, it wasn't what I had expected it to be at all. Lo-fi, rattly, vocals sung-spoke and halfway buried - I didn't get it. And being the finicky 16-year-old that I was, I never really took the time to let it sink in. There was so much other music at the time that gripped me right out of the box, and I think it was easier to just remain in that comfort zone.

I'd hear Pavement here and there for the next handful of years. I remember a friend having a CD copy of the "Trigger Cut" single, and I liked that song. And "Cut Your Hair" ended up being around. I bought a copy of Wowee Zowee on double vinyl (though there were only three sides) in 1997, and it all began to make sense. Turns out I couldn't have picked a more tough-to-crack album to really dig into (I equate this with buying Fugazi's Steady Diet of Nothing before hearing any of their other stuff - which I did), as it still remains the one Pavement record that people insist on referring to as "challenging." But songs like "We Dance" and "Rattled By the Rush" got to me, and became go-to mix tape tracks for me that year.

It wasn't until I moved to Portland in 1998 that I decided to give Slanted and Enchanted another go. I moved in with a guy who had a lot of records I didn't, and I used to tape some of his LPs to listen to in my car during my half-hour drive to work. It was during this time that I made a tape that literally has not left my car since the day I recorded it. On side A: Elliott Smith's XO. On side B: Slanted and Enchanted and the 12" for "Gold Soundz," a song from Pavement's second record. I played this tape over and over, both sides, for years. I'll tell you of my obsession with XO when we get there, but the story here is this: I finally realized why everyone was so infatuated with Slanted and Enchanted.

Talking about the most important indie rock records of the 90's is a fairly stupid conversation to have, but if you're going to have it, you're going to need to remember that the Pixies' Doolittle came out in the 80's, Nirvana probably doesn't count as indie rock, and if you want to act like Neutral Milk Hotel's In the Aeroplane Over the Sea is more significant - or better - than Slanted and Enchanted, than you're an idiot. Slanted and Enchanted remains the record that a million bands have tried to remake, and all of them have failed. But you can't blame them for trying. Pavement's (and particularly Stephen Malkmus') strength has always been their ability to make the complex look simple.

S&E will always be labeled as slack-rock, and indeed, the album gives off the vibe - in parts - that this is just something to do. It probably doesn't help that the drummer (bless you, Gary Young) seems to be the only one who knows how to play his instrument. But, again, that's the beauty of it. The sounds wrenched from the guitars on this record may not be easily duplicated (made-up chords and fucked tunings), but they are methodical in their own way. And while Malkmus' lyrics seem like they're off the top of his dome (and there do exist tales of him changing lyrics from take-to-take in the studio), they always begin memorably and resolve themselves in a fashion that's too damn bright to be off-the-cuff.

The original Slanted and Enchanted is 14 tracks, clocks in at under 40 minutes, and is just as good as everyone tells you it is. "Summer Babe (Winter Version)" remains one of the band's definitive tunes, and the fact that it's the first song on their first full-length is just too perfect. That one represents the wall-of-guitar approach, but it's the melodies that are slipped in all over the place that make it so great. And there's a bunch of songs like that on here: "Loretta's Scars," "No Life Singed Her," and "Fame Throwa" are all great examples.

But it's the more restrained tracks like "Here" and "Zurich is Stained" (my personal favorite) that make the album much more than just wrangled guitars, trebly drums, and deceptively catchy melodies. And super-sweet cuts like "Perfume-V" get the best of both. Eh, I love every song on this record. I don't need to end up naming all of 'em. So, yes, one of my favorite albums ever. That's a long list, and it includes more than one Pavement record, but man, I never get tired of this one.

This was the first Pavement album to get the deluxe edition treatment, and they did it right. On Luxe & Reduxe, the original LP gets a remaster, and they include a ton of cool shit. There's the original 7" version of "Summer Babe," (titled "Summer Baby") along with the b-sides from that single and a few other random tracks from that session, including a much heavier mix of "Here." There's two four-song John Peel sessions, each of which include some great non-album tracks. There's the Watery, Domestic EP, which includes both "Frontwards" and the incredible "Shoot the Singer (1 Sick Verse)," which is one of the band's best early songs.

On top of all that, there's also a full live show circa '92 that features a sweet mix of well-known tunes and some more random ones ("Box Elder," "Baby, Yeah," "So Stark"). For a band that everyone always calls a bunch of slackers, they were prolific. Some of the later deluxe editions are more geared towards superfans only, but this one is a great one if you're a Slanted and Enchanted enthusiast. And if you're not an enthusiast, you should be. Though my wife still hates this record... Meanwhile, I've been listening to it on a weekly basis for 12 years and I still love it.

"Here"

Mike Patton - Pranzo Oltranzista (CD, 1997)

When compared to Adult Themes for Voice, this CD is downright melodic.

Performed by a five-piece ensemble that includes both Patton and consummate weirdo John Zorn, this album is experimental, for sure, but maybe not quite as experimental as Patton has been known to get. Still, it won't be the soundtrack to your next dinner party.

Some tracks really utilize the instruments (guitar, cello, sax, percussion), while others feature glasses clinking and what sounds like someone biting down on hard candy. Oh, Patton, you goofball.

This thing looks sweet on my shelf, though. And I'm just shallow enough to care about something like that.

Cannot find a lick of audio for this one.