Category: Pavement

Pavement albums often invite their own retrospection. Stephen Malkmus sprinkled the first two LPs with clues to his anxieties around his musical reception, but on their third album, Wowee Zowee, which is celebrating its 30th anniversary, Pavement is light on the lyrical breadcrumbs. Contemporary critics so badly wanted to read the album as a self-conscious turn away from success. But in reality, it was Malkmus and co. doing exactly what put them on the precipice of success in the first place: leaning into their own artistic self-assurance.

Pavement’s debut long-player hits its 30th anniversary in April. To celebrate its lasting appeal, here’s a version of the album re-created from live tapes cherry picked from over the years, from the Gary Young era to the Westie days, and even with a little solo Malkmus thrown in there for good measure.Beautifully rough around the edges, occasionally on the verge of falling apart completely, it’s an appropriately enchanting listen, with style for miles and miles.

With a Pavement reunion tour going all over the place in 2022, it’s a good time to revisit Lance Bangs’ excellent Slow Century doc. Originally released in 2002, it tracks the band from the scruffy early days as a “special new band” through their, er, slightly less scruffy time as indie rock darlings.

Unlike others from their decade (the 90s), Pavement, especially in the early years, left off as many a gem as they included on their proper LP output. And as recently […]