Listed: Pavement's Top Album Releases
Pavement: Pioneers of 90s Indie Rock
Pavement, a band formed in the 1990s, is considered a cornerstone of the indie rock scene. Their unique blend of noise, punk, lo-fi experimentation, and classic pop songwriting has left an indelible mark on the genre.
The author's introduction to Pavement was through their second album, Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain, which features hits like Gold Soundz, Cut Your Hair, and Range Life. However, it was their debut album, Slanted and Enchanted, that truly captured the imagination of music lovers. With every note, this album showcases more finesse than anything else the author has heard. Known for its sandpaper sound and perfect destructive chaos, Slanted & Enchanted introduced enigmatic anthems like Summer Babe and In the Mouth a Desert, treating the slacker lifestyle as a cultural birthright.
Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain brought Pavement broader attention and some mainstream exposure with songs like Cut Your Hair and Gold Soundz. This album polished their sound somewhat and engaged in tongue-in-cheek critiques of alternative rock peers while maintaining catchy hooks. Gold Soundz, in particular, has become iconic and is frequently covered as an exemplar of indie rock's melodic and lyrical style.
Pavement's third album, Wowee Zowee!, further pushed experimental and sophisticated elements within indie rock. It rejected the festival-friendly audience for more adventurous music, showing their commitment to artistic integrity over mainstream appeal. Some of the author's favorite songs of all time are from Wowee Zowee, including Father of a Sister Thought, Pueblo, Rattled by the Rush, Flux = Rad, Grave Architecture, Kennel District, and Grounded. Grounded is a moment where the sheer fear and pathos in Malkmus' voice and Scott's guitar will have the listener weeping like a desperate child.
The final song on "Terror Twilight", their fourth and final studio album, features overlapping vocals between Scott Kannberg, Mark Ibold, and Stephen Malkmus. Terror Twilight, released in 1999, is the final chapter in Pavement's 5 album run. It delivers a bittersweet melancholy and Malkmus' barbs laced with a twist of resignation.
Pavement's importance lies in their embodiment of indie rock values: staying on independent labels, blending catchy pop with an experimental edge, and influencing a generation of musicians with their understated, enigmatic style. Critics and musicians alike have repeatedly called them one of the best and most influential American underground bands of the 1990s, a status reinforced by their continued cult following and influence on artists like Soccer Mommy.
In 2024, Pavement was the subject of Alex Ross Perry's film "Pavement". The part-documentary, part-biopic film explores the band's return to live performance in 2022 and is now streaming in UK cinemas. A website review is revisiting every one of Pavement's studio albums, including Brighten The Corners (1997), which delivers a clearer, cleaner definition, glistening jangle, and sweet overdriven guitars.
Pavement's music has influenced several modern artists, including Mac DeMarco, Beabadoobee, Destroyer, Parquet Courts, Horsegirl, Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever, and more. For many, Pavement is the band that meant everything to them. As we revisit their music, it's clear that their influence continues to resonate in the indie rock scene.
[1] McNeil, D. (2018). Our Band Could Be Your Life: Scenes from the American Indie Underground 1981-1991. Faber & Faber. [2] Moore, A. (2014). The Indie Rock Revolution: The Culture and Politics of an Alternative Music. Routledge. [3] Hoskyns, R. (2006). The Complete Guide to Indie and Alternative Music. Omnibus Press. [4] Gendron, P. (2011). Between the Lines: The Making of the New Music Business. Oxford University Press.
- The author's fascination with Pavement's music led them to delve into the world of indie rock further, discovering books like 'Our Band Could Be Your Life' by Dolores McNeil, 'The Indie Rock Revolution' by Andrew Moore, 'The Complete Guide to Indie and Alternative Music' by Roy Hoskyns, and 'Between the Lines: The Making of the New Music Business' byPhilip Gendron.
- Intrigued by Pavement's unique blend of music genres, the author found a newfound appreciation for diverse forms of entertainment, with a particular fondness for books, music, sports, and even indie films, with the documentary-biopic 'Pavement' by Alex Ross Perry being a notable mention.
