Sunday, December 7, 2008

she's so lackadaisical, should have been a west coast bride.

& my love for Pavement.

Yesterday I practiced with my friend's band and we covered "Cut Your Hair" (1994) by Pavement. It got me thinking about how they are still and indie rock cult classic nearly a decade after they disbanded. Beyond that, they are one of my favorite bands ever.

Why?
1. The impeccable, if often nonsensical, lyrics (i.e. "Lip balm on watery clay/ Relationships hey, hey hey.")
2. Stephen Malkmus's voice. With its unique timbre, imperfect pitch, and natural emotiveness, Malkmus carries the words without it ever seeming like he's trying too hard.
3. Talented Musicians. They have the ability to accentuate the tone and intent of each song. This includes a full range of guitar sounds and the always appropriate and complimentary percussion.
4. Their laid-back west coast cool.
5. The fact that they stayed on an indie label through their whole career.

Usually I am highly against the idea of any of my favorite bands getting back together because I think it ruins things. I am probably one of the only people who doesn't want to see a Smiths reunion. But I predict that Pavement will eventually reunite in some capacity and be just as cool as they always were. [And if you like prog rock feel free to check out Stephen Malkmus & the Jicks].

Links:
"Cut Your Hair"-

"Summer Babe" Live-

1 comment:

No one in particular said...

I've always found Pavement a little hit-and-miss. I think Malkmus sometimes took the "slacker" shtick a bit too far, ending up with chord progressions and/or melodies that felt a little too slapped-together.

On the other hand, "Zurich is Stained" is one minute and forty-one seconds of near-perfection. So I can see both sides of it.