Pavement
Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain: La's Desert Origins
/matador; 2004/







more info:
www.matadorrecords.com

Don’t expect me to talk in details of the 49 tracks of this luxurious re-issue of Pavement’s famous second album Crooked Rain x2, because I am not in the mood of an exhaustive listing of compliments. On the other hand, it’s impossible for me to write an objective and decent review of this record because it’s simply too good. Every time I tried to set down with pen and paper while listening to the record carefully, I got carried away with air-guitaring and singing along. Not only Crooked Rain is one the best albums of the 1990s, this deluxe release gives you a sense of the Pavement aura. Shambolic and melodic all at once. The booklet is just lovely, totally Pavement style, with a word from Stephen Malkmus and Spiral Stairs about the making of the record, back then, and silly things too. The original press book of the album and Malkmus’s explanation for each song are joyfully crafted with nonsense humour, as usual. Some might say that this kind of record is for fans only and then they would be right. The point is that we are not given a pale collection of well known b-sides, previously unreleased crap material or senseless demo versions. We are not dealing with consumerists Weezer or Nirvana here. 49 tracks and a splendid booklet for 19 euros is a pretty rare accomplishment nowadays, so I guess fans are the more inclined to see this release with a keen eye. The only question that really matters is this: what shall we do with our original Crooked Rain lp? Well as far as I am concerned, I only got a 2000 re-issue, so I don’t really give a fuck about spending more money on Pavement. I know a guy who’s got 4 different edition of Sonic Youth’s Daydream Nation; once you are a fan, there is no logic anymore.

I must admit that I am not a chronological fan of Pavement. I did not discover the albums from the first to the last but chaotically went though the discography. This might explain why in opposition with other Pavement fans, my favourite album is not the first one, Slanted and Enchanted, that also had a deluxe release last year. I am not really indie, you know. I worship both Crooked Rain and Brighten the Corners, considering the fact that each album has not a single flaw. But now I am going to have to wait for the Brighten deluxe edition to reset my values.

Well.

-Angus ‘if she suffocates she suffers more’ Anderson

/dec 1st 2004/