Wikipedia

Pavement (band)

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Lfh (talk | contribs) at 22:25, 28 September 2005. The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Pavement was an indie-rock bands of the 1990s. Though not commercially very successful, they achieved a signficant cult following, and their music influenced that of many more popular bands of the late 1990s and beyond.

File:Pavement band BW.jpg

History

The band formed in Stockton, California, in 1989 as a studio project of guitarists and vocalists Stephen Malkmus and Scott Kannberg, known originally only as "S.M." and "Spiral Stairs." Their debut EPs, Slay Tracks (1933-1969), Demolition Plot J-7 and Perfect Sound Forever, were recorded at the studio of drummer Gary Young and consisted of lo-fi songs highly influenced by The Fall. (Later, a British music magazine would play Mark E. Smith, the central member of The Fall, Pavement's "Two States," telling him it was an old Fall B-side. He believed them.)

Around 1992 Pavement became a full-time band, with the addition of bassist Mark Ibold and extra percussionist Bob Nastanovich. Most of their songs from this point onward were written by Malkmus, with Kannberg granted only one or two per album. Their debut album, Slanted and Enchanted, was released commercially in 1992 after being circulated among critics and tastemakers for nearly a year, and became an instant indie classic. Though the percussive influence of the The Fall was still pervasive (as was that of English post punks the Swell Maps), many of the songs also exhibited a strong sense of melody.

The band then released the EP Watery, Domestic<\i>, which represents a balance between their earlier and later styles. After this recording, drummer Gary Young, the man responsible for much of the band's eccentric live behaviour, was replaced by Malkmus's old friend Steve West. With an improved recording quality and more original songwriting, they released Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain in 1994. This record, far more indebted to the classic rock tradition than their more obscure debut, is now usually considered their best. The single "Cut Your Hair" was the band's closest brush with the mainstream, and briefly enjoyed airplay on alternative rock radio and MTV. Another single, "Range Life," was infamous chiefly for lyrics which seem to criticise alt-rock superstars The Smashing Pumpkins and Stone Temple Pilots. Malkmus has insisted over the years that the line is meant to be light-hearted, and sung from the point of view of the aging-hippy character in the song, but it only cemented the band's reputation in the mainstream as elitist snobs.

Pavement's next album was the eclectic, inscrutable Wowee Zowee (1995). Over eighteen tracks, the band covered a wide range of styles including punk, country and balladry, and dispensed almost entirely with conventional song structures. Though not widely admired at the time of release, the record is now also generally regarded as among their best. However their next recording, the EP Pacific Trim, is probably best forgotten.

1997's Brighten the Corners was a shorter, mellower and more focused record than the previous album. In style it resembled Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain and contained two of the band's best known singles in "Stereo" and "Shady Lane". The album sold better than its predecessors, but Pavement remained a cult band.

It was at about this time that the band started to fragment, with its members focusing more on other musical projects or on raising a family. However the band remained in good spirits and took the time to continue touring.

In 1999, the band released its final album, Terror Twilight. Malkmus wrote the entirety of the record, and the recording of the music only featured minor contributions from the rest of the band. The music on the record is by far the gentlest and most emotionally direct in the band's discography, though the oddball Captain Beefheart homage "Platform Blues" is a nod to their more obscure roots. Although markedly different from the others - its comparatively pristine production was helmed by Nigel Godrich, best known for his work with Radiohead and Beck - it occasionally recalled the band at their best, and the reworked version of the live favorite "The Hexx" and the ballads "Major Leagues" and "Spit on a Stranger" rank among the band's best work.

After completing a world tour in London in 1999, the band announced that they were going on hiatus, which eventually translated into an unofficial break-up. However, the band remains open to the possibility of a reunion. Malkmus has stated in many interviews that he would be interested in getting the band together, but wants to continue on with his solo career for a while longer before returning to his old bandmates.

Influences

The most important influence on the band, and particularly on Kannberg, was The Fall. Other influences include the [Swell Maps]], Sonic Youth, the Dunedin Sound indie bands from New Zealand, The Clean, The Verlaines, the Pixies, R.E.M., and The Velvet Underground.

Discography

Studio Albums

Compilations and Reissues

EPs

Singles

  • "Summer Babe" (1992)
  • "Trigger Cut" (1992)
  • "Cut Your Hair" (1994)
  • "Haunt You Down" (1994)
  • "Gold Soundz" (1994)
  • "Range Life" (1995)
  • "Dancing with the Elders" (split single with the Medusa Cyclone) (1995)
  • "Father to a Sister of Thought" (1995)
  • "Give It a Day" (1996)
  • "Stereo" (1997)
  • "Carrot Rope" (1999)

DVDs

A great many Pavement songs are not to be found on these "official" albums, including b-sides, songs which were released on bootlegs, multi-artist compilations or foreign releases, and songs which were only played live.

Slow Century, a DVD featuring live performances, music videos, and a documentary by film-maker Lance Bangs, was released in 2002 by Matador Records.

Miscellaneous

Acoustic trio Nickel Creek covered Pavement's "Spit on a Stranger" on their 2002 release, This Side.

Malkmus has gone on to enjoy some success as a solo artist combining his intricate guitar playing with a progressive rock influence and has released three albums, all with Matador Records. The self-titled Stephen Malkmus was released in February 2001 and Pig Lib, which Malkmus released with his band The Jicks, came out in March 2003. His third solo album, Face the Truth, was released May 24th, 2005 on Matador.

Spiral Stairs (Scott Kannberg) went on to form the Preston School of Industry, who at best recall Pavement's singular and scruffy approach, with much indulgence of the songwriter's Anglophile tendencies. They have released two albums with Matador Records, All this Sounds Gas (August 2001), and Monsoon (February 2004).

Fans of the ESPN sports commentary show Pardon the Interruption have suggested that the theme song and commercial outro music thematically reference the song "Cut Your Hair," but actual samples from the song are not used; this is probably intended as a joke as both Tony Kornheiser and Michael Wilbon, the show's hosts, are bald.

The picture of the rooster found in the liner notes of Slanted and Enchanted is actually taken from the cover of a record by an obscure band called Ambergris.

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Pavement_(band)&oldid=24267324"