Pavement
Crooked Rain Crooked Rain LP

Tuneful without being soft, confident without being pompous, hip without being inaccesible, Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain was a huge leap for Pavement up the rock and roll evolution cycle. They may have gained some pop smarts, but a casual listen to the dissonant guitar solo of Cut Your Hair proves that the seeds planted with 1989's first Slay Tracks EP have come to their logical fruition. Stephen Malkmus and co. created an album that neither short-changed their status as prominent indie noise-makers, nor stunted their growth as a musical ensemble. Thus, though the inspired eccentricity is toned down - an instrumental tribute to fellow Stockton-ite Dave Brubeck being the closest thing to their early quirkiness - this is the most consistent set of stubbornly catchy songs ever. From the odd tunings and drunken AC/DC riffing of Silence Kit - with its somber lyric of leaving the urban life behind - to the epic closing of Fillmore Jive - which begs us to say 'good night to the rock and roll era' Crooked Rain is an album of short stories, full of irony, wit, and hooks.

NEW / Released in 1994 / Reissue 2020

Tracklist:

A1 Silence Kid

A2 Elevate Me Later

A3 Stop Breathin

A4 Cut Your Hair

A5 Newark Wilder

A6 Unfair

B1 Gold Soundz

B2 5-4=Unity

B3 Range Life

B4 Heaven Is A Truck

B5 Hit The Plane Down

B6 Fillmore Jive