at a glance...

Hometown: Stockton, CA
Year Formed: 1989

Members:
Steve Malkmus -vocals, guitars
Spiral Stairs -guitars
Gary Young -drums
Steve West -drums
Mark Ibold -bass
Bob Nastanovich -percussion, yells

Bands In The Family:
Silver Jews, The Crust Brothers, Free Kitten, Oranger

Notes:
Pavement began to attract attention with their "Slay Tracks" 7-inch, especially the b-side, "Box Elder." Debut album Slanted and Enchanted was a huge cult success, changing the path of Matador Records and American indie rock in the '90s. An odds and ends collection Westing (By Musket and Sextant) solidified Malkmus and co.'s (now featuring bassist Mark Ibold, percussionist Bob Nastanovich and drummer Steve West in place of Young) rule over the land of indie, and their popularity reached a peak with 1994's Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain, which included the near-crossover hit "Cut Your Hair." The next year's Wowee Zowee was less well received, but 1997's Brighten the Corners and 1999's Terror Twilight reinstated Pavement as one of the most revered bands of the decade.

Links:
Pavement Interview
Pavement Mothership

The Major Leagues EP. The "Major Leagues" single. Why did they choose this as a single, I wondered? "Spit On A Stranger" I can kind of understand, but why "Major Leagues?" These were my thoughts. I popped it on, and sure enough I thought, "Yeah, whatever..." then "See! The demo version is even more annoying!" But sure enough, biking through the Mission one day, after my second or third listen, there I was tapping it on my handlebars. So it grew on me. I guess that's what Pavement tend to do.

"Your Time To Change" tinkles and shuffles along with an off-kilter rhythm courtesy of ex-drummer Young and "Stub Your Toe" is a head-bopping Spiral Stairs number. And come to think of it, the demo version of "Major Leagues" is cute in a way, with its cheesy keyboard melody. Overall, the whole EP still is somewhat mediocre and relaxed compared to the young & frisky Pavement that I knew and loved, but maybe that's just me.

"Decouvert de Soleil" is a winner. I can't really make out what Malkmus is saying, but it's worth it just for the gibberish at the end. Speaking of endings, the two last songs are really enjoyable covers that escalate into noisefests: one Echo & The Bunnymen tune (my favourite track), and one Fall song which the boys cover in several coats of loose, slack, early Pavement-style paint. Give Major Leagues a try. Pavement will be huddling together in the dugout, getting ready for you.

If you like Pavement, check out:
Pavement Slanted and Enchanted
Pavement Wowee Zowee
Pavement Terror Twilight
Pavement Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain
Sportsguitar Happy Already
The Velvet Underground The Velvet Underground and Nico
Beck Mutations
Fuck Conduct

--Lars Rosenblum Sorgenfrei

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