NR Essentials #17: Pavement - Slanted And Enchanted
 

Pavement
Slanted And Enchanted
1992, Matador Records

In a strange way I almost feel like I don't need to try to describe this record. If you haven't heard it (WTF have you been doing?) then just look at the cover. THAT is what it sounds like. It's sloppy. And lo-fi. And kind of musically wrong at times. But it's also thrilling. Wonderful. And freeeeeee.

There is no question that this was a pivotal record for my ears. But I certainly wasn't the only one. Pavement seemed to be a band that served as a line in the sand. You either caught "Cut Your Hair" on MTV and then swore off corporate rawk (oohhh the fucking irony!) or you listened to some foxy, elegant bachelors. That's just how the 90's were, kids.

So let's travel back. Pretend we have never heard anything post-92...

The opening lyric to the record is "Ice Baby"... deadpan reference to Vanilla Ice? No matter, as "Summer Babe (Winter Version)" is maybe the closest thing that the indie crowd got to their own "Boys Of Summer."

"In The Mouth Of A Desert" is, I think, the official Sonic Youth Tribute song? A fucked up fumbling guitar intro into a paean about keeping this shit underground/outtasight.

"Conduit For Sale!" okay by this point -- 5 tracks in -- you have a new favorite band. Sure it's sort of a Fall ripoff, but I've never loved a Fall song quite this much.

"Zurich Is Stained" is so sad and I don't know why...

"Perfume IV" is so fucking rock, but rock like we weren't allowed to hear on the radio anymore. Ah! Fuck! This album is tooooo muccccch!

And there's so much to pick apart on this record. But the main thing I want to point out is that this record is the biggest example of what I've always thought made Pavement so great. THEY NEVER LET ON TO HOW TALENTED THEY WERE. What I mean is, the sort of played in a way that sound off the cuff, or sloppy, or sort of "we'll wing it while we record it." But it was never that way it all. They knew exactly what they were doing with each note. Each supposedly nonsensical word. Maybe back then we thought it was naive and impromptu. But looking back now, it's easy to see they were recording Perfect Sound Forever.

This is the only Pavement album I've heard. I think it's okay, some songs are quite good, but it's not enough to make me want to listen to it multiple times.

wow.

Loved it, but haven't listened to it front to back in years. Maybe I'll give it another spin.

or you bought the 'summer babe' single straight from Malkmus at the stage, a month or so before it hit the stores.

Conduit... is "sort of" a fall ripoff?

It's IDENTICAL to New Face in Hell! It's just more annoying and, uh, not good. At all.

I love the rest of the album though. Perfume-V, Zurich, Summer Babe, Trigger Cut, Loretta's Scars, No Life Singed Her, Two States, and especially Our Singer rule. Really creative. There's just something about this album... I'm not sure what. Something.

LUXE & REDUXE.

disc 2 owns me hard. fucking ED AMES.

loretta's fucking scars y'all

well not to mention "watery, domestic" is the most perfect EP of all time.

Dead-Air ?

Lies and betrayals
Fruit-covered nails
Electricity and lust won't break the door


Fucking love it ...

also on DISC 2 there is a great live version of "home"

"Jackals, False Grails: The Lonesome Era" is the only song I particularly like by Pavement.

fuckin classic

Favorite record of all time. Pretty much perfect to me. Completely changed my life. Good post NR; You nailed Slanted perfectly on why it is such a masterpiece

Every song is defined by it's noisey, sloppy yet beautiful playing; Extremely "clever" lyrics without ever being "I am so much smarter than you"; a sense of playfulness (Extremely free form);It's amazing- almost "backwards" arrangements.... Every song is completely different yet all connected at the same time. Fantastic. If you listened to it you know exactly what I mean.

The two disc Luxe and Reduxe set is perfect, THE example of how you celebrate a record. Combined with the fact Watery Domestic is one of the best EPs ever (The outtakes are better than most songs period, that alone speaks wonders), and a live show to show how they were juggernauts, extremely well-written liner notes getting SM's and Spiral's thoughts and others explaining why the record is so important, everything! And it's only $16 at Best Buy!

Pavement in 1992/93 were just unstoppable. They did no wrong.

~Jeremy~

Yeah pretty good album but there's a few filler tracks. I think Wowee is their best.

One thing about Slanted is that even with a song like say, Chesley's Little Wrists, the whole thing feels complete and moves along perfectly, and to me personally nothing ever feels like filler.

~Jeremy~

This. Oh yeah!

I think Wowee is their best also..

But OUR SINGER is probably my favorite Pavement song. I dunno what it is about that song.

conduit is a new face in hell ripoff, but it also adds to the song. it's kinda like what i want all fall songs to be like.

and the ending of our singer is the best ending to a record i've ever heard, rivaled only by good morning, captain.

the record sounds so...weird? they never got this sound back. imagine if wowee sounded like this. that would be incredible.