Pavement - Gold SoundzAlbum: Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain [1994]
"crooked rain" strips away the hiss and fog of pavement's previous masterpiece, "slanted & enchanted", removing some of pavement's mystery yet retaining their fractured sound and spirit. it's filled with loose ends and ragged transitions, but compared to the fuzzy, dence "slanted", it is much more direct and immediately engaging. it puts the band's casual melodies, sprawling squalls of feedback, disheveled country-rock, and stephen malkmus' deft wordplay in sharp relief. it's the sound of a band discovering its own voice as a band, which is only appropriate because up until "crooked rain", pavement was more of a recording project between malkmus and scott kannberg than a full-fledged rock & roll group. the're new blood that gives the band a different feel, even if the aesthetic hasn't changed much. the full band gives the music a much richer, warmer vive that's as apparent on the rampaging, noise-ravaged numbers as it is on the sun-kissed country-rock tunes. pavement may still be messy, but it's a meaningful, musical madeness from the performance to the production. what initially seems chaotic has purpose, leading listeners into a bittersweet heart and impish humour at the core of the album. many bands attempted to replicate the sounds or the vibe of "crooked rain", but they never came close to the quick shifts in music and emotion that give this album such lasting appeal. here, pavement follow they follow the heartbroken ballad "stop breathin" with the wry, alt-rock hit "cut your hair" without missing a beat. by drawing on so many different influences, pavement discovered its own distinctive voice as a band, creating a vibrant, dynamic, emotionally resonant album that stands as a touchstone underground rock in the 90's and arguably one of the greatest albums of its decade.
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