212 - Pavement - Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain

[csberry]

Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain is another one of those albums that just kind of slipped by me while I was exploring the depth and breadth of college rock/alternative in the first half of the 90's. I heard the album and respected the band, but I never felt compelled to spend much of my own time diving into their music. They were a band that my friends played.

The music on Crooked Rain is sloppy, low-tech, and American. The foundation is California pop with its sunny attitude, occasional Western music influences, and idylic lyrical imagery. Now imagine that foundation as weathered, vandalized, and abused - that is what the listener gets on this album. Despite the messiness, there are indications here in there that the band put more thought into creating and structuring these songs than is readily evident. Thus, my opinion of Crooked Rain is all over the place. There are many songs that have elements I find very interesting or fun. But each of those songs also have elements that made me go, "Why?" The experimentation and quirkiness wasn't conducive to my settling on likes and dislikes, but I can see how someone who is more interested than I could chew on this morsel for a very long time.

Songs I Knew I Liked: "Cut Your Hair"

Songs I Now Like: "Unfair," "5-4=Unity" (love the Brubeck-esque jazz!), and I kinda like "Silence Kid" and "Hit the Plane Down"

Songs I Can Go the Rest of My Life Never Hearing Again: "Stop Breathin" and "Fillmore Jive"

Comments

[dudeitsawesome.livejournal.com]

this was my favorite "album to smoke weed to" when i was about 17. ;)

Pavement

[crookedfingers.livejournal.com]

I have enjoyed all of Pavements music over the years. I also enjoy the music of Stephen Malkmus the lead singer for the band Pavement-check out Malkmus new record "Wig Out at Jagbags" Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks.