Pavement - Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain
(Matador Records, 1994)
I know, there are some of you pulling your hair out, screaming at the computer screen (or whatever it is you kids use to surf the web these days) in a fit of rage over the fact that I dared not pick Slanted and Enchanted. Though it may put me in the minority, I still say that Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain is the better album. This is mainly because I personally prefer Crooked Rain's poppier leanings to Slanted's endearing sloppiness. These are songs that, unlike much of their debut, get stuck in your head.
Nearly every song on here is a classic. There is the pseudo-sleeper hit in "Cut Your Hair", a staple of college and cool alternative radio stations alike. There's "Gold Soundz", a jangly pop nugget that more than lives up to its name. Hell, even the irreverent "Heaven Is a Truck" is unforgettable, even if
only for Stephen Malkmus' stream-of-conscience-nonsense-turned-lyrics. Of course, there's also "Range Life", where this esteemed blog took its name.
There are also sentimental reasons for why I love this album so much. More than anything, it represents several bygone eras, a trip down memory lane with several detours along the way. This album represents a time when college and commercial radio came so close to having a beautiful wedding. As I mentioned earlier, "Cut Your Hair" received a fair amount of play, and you know that if they're playing the song in Lawrence, Kansas, then surely other radio stations were spinning it too. I also think about Summer when I listen to this album, and that is perhaps the exact reason why I chose it. You see, I've always imagined Crooked Rain as Summer passing by. It moves so slow but yet is always over much too soon, and before you know it the kids with the Vespas are back for the Fall semester. With Summer un-officially over with the passing of Labor Day and the start of the NFL, I'm already missing the bygone days of the past couple of months, hot nights on the porch (beer in hand), Pitchfork Music Festivals, barbecues, and perhaps most importantly of all - my birthday. Thankfully I can relive the Summer, every Summer, with every listen.
From the album Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain
1 comment:
One of my favorite moments from PF Fest was Stephen Malkmus opening with "Heaven is a Truck." I can't believe with three solo albums under his belt, he played that much Pavement!!
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