2x*****, 3x****
Maintaining momentum for a long album can be difficult, but the quality of material here varies so widely that flow seems like a small concern. The catchy indie hit "Rattled By The Rush"***** comes early, driven with a heavily syncopated attack. "Grounded"***** has sleepy verses that give way to a towering guitar riff that Pavement should not be capable of. But track 4 jumps in the middle of the progression with the jokey, sloppy "Brinx Job". Other strange trifles like "Best Friend's Arm" and "Grave Architecture", along with quick ninja attacks like "Flux=Rad" and "Serpentine Pad" seem to just try to be noisy. "Father To A Sister Of A Thought"**** is a more typical mid-tempo groove that is Pavement's bread and butter, with some tasteful steel guitar for flavor. "Kennel District"**** is almost shoegazer, as fronted by J. Mascis. Big buzzing guitars appear again on "Half A Canyon"****, which stands out with a cavernous riff. On an album with 18 songs, some of the material is bound to be so-so, and there are plenty more mid-tempo grooves that are no surprise, but there is evidence of exploring different sounds. Consistency may be exchanged for variety, but variety is the spice of something.
Comments