Terror Twilight - Pavement (1999)

Ideated from: a reissue just out, with a bunch of extra tracks and a different track order.

It can be funny listening to a record you have no context on when everything you read about it either has its own strong opinions or assumes that you do.

I don’t really know anything about Pavement, other than a handful of songs I recognize. This is the last album they did together before singer Stephen Malkmus went solo, much to the apparent chagrin of people who do (and don’t) think they should have split up. It’s produced in a much cleaner high-tech style by Radiohead collaborator Nigel Godrich, much to the apparent chagrin of people who liked the less pristine sound of their other albums. It exists, much to the apparent chagrin of people who think something else should have existed instead, I guess.

To me, this all reads as a WWE-level amount of manufactured drama that doesn’t have anything to do with the music, but yet seems to be all anybody wants to bloviate about. Which is funny because there’s a lot to talk about. This is a solid 90s rock record all the way through.

Whip-smart lyrics with lots of wordplay, pleasant sing-along melodies, the occasional guitar solo ripping through like a freight train. What’s not to like? A lot, apparently, but I don’t have to listen to the arguments to enjoy the music.

Tracks I Liked

Spit On A Stranger - not exactly a hit, but the one you have the best chance of knowing.

Cream Of Gold - comes as close as this album gets to being intense. Great guitar work

Platform Blues - once it gets wound up to full steam it’s a great rocker.