Pavement – Brighten The Corners (1997)

I knew little of Pavement, other than an oblique Half Man Half Biscuit reference to front man Stephen Malkmus, and Mark E Smith's disdain for the band for allegedly trying to sound like The Fall. While, in my view, that's a positive recommendation I'm not really hearing the similarity, beyond the seemingly stream of consciousness lyrics. So, for a couple of quid in a charity shop, it was time to investigate Pavement.

It's not bad - there's a sort of lazy quality to the pounding beat below Malkmus' couldn't-care-less lyrical performance, but when they want to, they can also rock, in a fantastically discordant manner - as evidenced by opener Stereo. Shady Lane feels looser and more light hearted, and Transport Is Arranged sounds strong. But after a while, the songs seem less than the sound and merge into a loud and enjoyable background. Embassy Row is a solid rocker, and I enjoyed the almost rap verse on Blue Hawaiian. Passat Dream has a decent hook and guitar licks, and Fin is the grand slow finale I'd expected.

It doesn't all excite, but if you like your loud guitar with idiosyncratic lyrics and feedback, this could be for you.

Link to album tracks

3* - a solidly enjoyable album, which doesn't quite move me as much as I'd hoped