That was then

My first direct contact with Brighten the Corners was a list of song titles scrawled eagerly across the inset of a dubbed tape, as if whoever wrote them felt the same anticipation as I did at Pavement's latest release. But once I actually listened to the songs behind the titles, anticipation was my greatest enemy; I became one of those annoying people who go around saying things like "Band X is okay now, but their old stuff, man, their old stuff rocked." The songs on Brighten the Corners sounded more planned and polished than anything recorded previously, and Steve Malkmus didn't seem quite as passionate about his detachment anymore. Pavement had finally mastered its own formula, the death knell of any band's golden era.

I regrouped after a few listenings, concluding that maybe Pavement's sky wasn't falling so much as graying. And rainy days have their own charms. Even a reluctant purist like myself had to be satisfied with the first two tracks, "Stereo" and "Shady Lane," during which the band fulfilled Pavement requirements: 1. A reference to something German ("The kaiser has a cyst," or something); 2. Mocking of fellow rock artists (Rush vocalist Geddy Lee gets the award this time); 3. Malkmus reasserting his card-carrying status in the `I'm-too-clever-to-live' club. (To wit: "You've been chosen as an extra / in the movie adaptation / of the sequel to your life." Please Steve, don't hurt 'em!)

The rest of Brighten finds Pavement holding its laurels just close enough so that it can screw around with them. Which is a good thing. Repeated listening will pay off, I promise. But if it doesn't, don't come whining to me about the old days.

--Damien Da Costa Back to A & E...