Pavement Album: “Slanted & Enchanted: Luxe & Reduxe”

Pavement was the reigning indie band of the 1990s, with their vibrant rock and Stephen Malkmus's deliciously strange lyrics. And at the 10th anniversary of debut "Slanted and Enchanted"'s release, devoted fans were rewarded with "Slanted and Enchanted: Luxe & Reduxe," with a wealth of live tracks, new tracks, B-sides and more.

The original recording itself is a masterful creation: its includes the whooping "Life Singed Her," intricate "Trigger Cut/Wounded-Kite At :17," droning "In the Mouth of a Desert," gently poppy "Zürich Is Stained" and jangling, shimmering "Loretta's Scars," before wrapping up with the solid acoustic "Our Singer."

But no sooner has the rat-a-tat percussion of "Our Singer" faded out than the new stuff begins: The "Slanted Sessions," which include the droning "Mercy Snack: The Laundromat," the catchy rocker "Baptist Blacktick," a rawer, rougher alternate mix of "Here," and the shimmery indie "Nothing Ever Happens" (which sounds a bit like the Beatles). The first disc fades out with the John Peel Session #1 -- which has never been released before -- four fuzzy, solid renditions of their songs.

The second disc is almost as good, kicking off with the Watery, Domestic tracks: the ear-tingling feedback that opens "Texas Never Whispers," the sweeping "Frontwards," and the poppy "Shoot the Singer (1 Sick Verse)." The Watery Sessions are on a somewhat grimmer note with the melancholy "Greenlander," the gothic-sounding "Sue Me Jack," and the drizzly "So Stark (You're A Skyscraper)."

A second John Peel session -- also never before released -- which starts off on a grey, drizzly note but builds up to the muffled shrieks and roars of "List of Dorms." Finally, the second disc rounds off to a live performance at London's Brixton Academy in late 1992: A surprisingly clear, sharp-sounding rendition of their songs -- you can almost feel the energy crackling from Malkmus's voice.

And accompanying the two discs of music is a thick little booklet the size of a skinny CD jewel case. It doesn't really provide many new insights into the songs themselves, but it does give a look into where the guys from Pavement were before rocketing to indie-godhood. It looks like a bunch of notes pasted together, especially with some scrawled lyrics in the middle of it, written in marker with lines crossed out.

Pavement is one of those wonderful bands that have a subtle influence on many of the bands who come after them, such as, for example, Weezer. Their fuzzy, roiling guitar was offset by creative flourishes that can make your heart bleed and your ears tingle. And don't be deceived by the seeming simplicity of these songs -- under the fuzzy guitar and machine-gun percussion are outstanding melodies.

Pavement may be gone, but it's not forgotten. And "Slanted and Enchanted: Luxe and Reduxe" is among the best rereleases I've seen yet, with its overwhelming wealth of extras and bonuses. Vibrant and timeless -- and the rarities and B-sides make it even better.

If you're just getting into Pavement, and haven't already heard much of the stuff on this disc - buy it. It has some of the best music ever made. For those who have been down the road with the boys, though, and are wary of paying twice for the same songs - your concerns are justfied.

On the plus side, the sound quality of the Peel Sessions is better than on the (awesome, near-canonical) "Stuff Up the Cracks" bootleg. It's great that, at last, there's a legitimate way to own these songs. They're some of Pavement's best ever, and finally they're accessible (and affordable) to everyone.

Unfortunately, so much other great stuff remains exclusively on "Cracks," including the third Peel Session (from a few years later), that the bootleg will remain mighty tempting to new listeners - which sort of defeats this set's "beat the boots" purpose. (If you want the tinny live stuff on disc 2, better I guess to get it this way than on "Stray Slack.") Presumably, the "Crooked Rain"-era stuff will see official release when THAT album gets the reissue treatment on its 10th anniversary.

But this gets to the core of the problem: beyond the profit motive, why bother? What the world needed was a single, excellent Pavement rarities set. The mighty "S&E" is cheapened (if such a thing is possible) when it's slapped carelessly on a disc with one Peel Session and the few weak tracks from the (must-have) Drag City early years CD. (Just because "Mercy Snack" and "My First Mine" are from the "Slanted sessions" doesn't mean they should show up here.) I don't care how great the LP - it's going to lose its punch when, right after its final note is struck, it's followed up by a reprise of its very first track (in a basically identical "7-inch version"). Blech!

It is cool to have "Watery, Domestic," the "Trigger Cut" b-sides, and the so-so-excellent "Greenlander" all in a row: new Paveheads are in for a treat. For the rest of us... well, like me, you'll probably buy it anyway. But I bet that when I put on "S&E" in the future, this won't be the disc I reach for.

Here's the problem. The remastering of the original Pavement Slanted & Enchanted album, IMHO the best noise-pop album ever, ruins almost all the original album tracks. Whoever remastered the album put TOO MUCH emphasis on the bass/mid-bass. The consequence? Classic tracks like Summer Babe, Trigger Cut, Here, Zurich Is Stained, Loretta's Scars, end up sounding very muddied. Remember, there was no bass guitar recorded for most of the original album tracks; so why did the studio engineer emphasize the bass portion so much in this remaster?. Not surprisingly, the only track that actually sounds better in this remaster is In the Mouth a Desert, no doubt due to the song's driving bass line.

The wealth of additional content on this double disc edition is absolutely essential. And fortunately, they don't suffer from the same remastering issues as the the S&E tracks. The inclusion of the live concert shows Pavement at their frenetic, energetic best.

The bottom line:

If you are a Pavement fan and already own the original S&E CD, BUY this album, but KEEP your original S&E CD. Trust me.

If you are relatively new to Pavement, buy the ORIGINAL S&E CD first, then purchase the remaster for the bonus material later.

Cheers.

Okay, most of you have probably heard "Slanted and Enchanted" and you want to know about the bonus material on this two disc set. Let me first touch on the album itself...Since you probably already know the songs I won't bore you with a description and if you have heard the album you know that not only was it one of the most important albums of the 90's but also one of the most enjoyable (enjoyable and important do not go hand and hand) the reissue however brings everything up a level and the sound improvement alone is enough of a reason to buy the reissued version...now to the bonus material...amazing, every bit as important as the original album, the live stuff shows that not only were Pavement an amazing album band but also just as good live and the Peel sessions are great! Put down the Hives cd, throw away your Strokes albums and go ahead and take you Vines cd to a used store (that is where its going to end up anyways) and go out and buy this...Let it take you back to a time when indie rock was exciting, fresh and original. (If you don't own any other Pavement albums go ahead and pick up all of their albums along with Steve's solo album you won't be disappointed)

I love Pavement, and I love this album. But it's also my least favorite of all of their albums... they improved with each release.

If you're new to Pavement and want to know where to start ask yourself this: do I like rock music that is wonderful and is lo-fi and a little abbrasive? If yes, start with Slanted and Enchanted (and this rerelease). If you prefer rock music that is wonderful, and a little more accessible and cleaner, get any other Pavement release. They're all really great.

And what about those familiar with Pavement? Well, those people must buy this album. It's great! All of the B-sides and live tracks are at least as good as anything that ever made the real album (which is really rare for these types of collections). The John Peel sessions are essential, and the forty minute live show is blessed with clean sound and has the band in fine form and playing with incredible energy.

I know this review is a bit brief and to the point (if I had the time I'd do a song by song review of each track) but just know that this isn't some thrown together collection; this is a beautifully compiled historical document of the band's lo-fi days, with unreleased material that actually ranks along with the band's best.