Pavement
"Slanted & Enchanted: Luxe & Reduxe"
(Matador)

The 10th Anniversary of Pavement's seminal masterpiece couldn't come out at a more appropriate time. As the accesible "indie" sound begins to penetrate mainstream airwaves, "Slanted & Enchanted: Luxe & Reduxe" brings us back to the record that the Vines, the Hives, the Strokes and others undoubtedly spent hours listening to during their formative musical years. Audiohpiles rejoice: this latest edition not only contains the LP remastered in all
its glory, but the rest of the Gary Young era also retouched to replace the wimpy-sounding CDs that have been circulating circa 1992.

Among the gems unearthed in this two CD set are the band's first Peel Sessions, which display Pavement in all its ragged glory. The band stumbles and trips through their two greatest live-yet-unreleased recordings of
the era, "Circa 1762" and "Kentucky Cocktail". Those two songs are on par with anything on "Slanted", and this CD gives Pavement die-hards who have suffered through years of piss-poor quality radio bootlegs a version
that is almost studio. The second session contains songs that accurately portray Pavement's quirky side, with SM freestylin' his way through most of it.

Also included is one of the greatest EPs ever recorded by any band, the cryptic "Watery, Domestic". This was Pavement at the peak of their powers- they had yet to release a bad song. Gary Young had reached his true
limits in the band, and SM had grown comfortable with his voice and thrown it a little bit higher in the mix. The album's caboose, "Shoot the Singer" may be the most gorgeous application of Peter Buck-style plucks to ever appear
on record.

Finally, the live show on the second disc is not to be missed for the Pavement collector. Having been previously available (once again in bootleg form) the Brixton show from 1992 showcases the most rockin' era of the band,
likely to surprise anyone who only witnessed shows in the post-Slanted era. Gary Young's drumming (though not his antics) were definitely missed upon his departure, and his performance on this section of the disc makes it all too obvious.

In the 50+ page booklet that accompanies the double CD, Spiral Stairs, SM, Gerard Cosloy (of Matador Records), Boche Billions (their booking agent) and Dan Koretzky (of Drag City) share their memoirs of the most
tongue-in-cheek indie act of the 90s. It was that attitude that was the essence of Pavement:listening to their amateur-yet-undisguised playing made you say: "hey, I can do this". And that is what good rock n' roll should do.

--Karthik