PAVEMENT

I've been to a few good live gigs this year, but by far the best was Pavement. At the Auckland Town Hall, they simply stripped back the years, and charmed the damm pants of simply every person in attendance. Being able to see the band reform for their first show in ten years, was beyond a pleasure.

The clip is a great quality clip of their opening, and one of my favourite tracks of all time - "In the Mouth of a Desert". Pavement are simply the kings of low-fi guitar pop.

The begins with a guitar meldy which opens up the can of lo-fi pop brilliance (intro not in this clip). Then Stephen Malkmus opens up the songs brilliant abstract lyrical adventure. His delivery is so effective as it retains tenderness despite its often detached and sarcastic lyrics and vocals. The rhythm complements this perfectly with the drum beat sounds like a 4 year old in control, while the bass simply thumps its way into your chest, before it all builds up into a glorious mess of a chorus.



The other two clips are attached simply because one Pavement song is never never enough - when your in the mood (like im in today) they simply snatch your attention and demand to be admired. Consider 'Box Elder" whose cutey scratchy guitar simply tugs you in - before refraining 'Cause I've decide to make a stand, And I'm not gonna take your hand, I`m taking the next bus outta here, I`m gonna head for Box Elder, M.O" which becomes impossible not to sing along on repetitious listening.




Next up is Frontwards which cascades between the bands trademark tenderness and low-fi guitar screeches. Suitably it sums up the band who really do "own style for miles and miles".




No one has summed up the power of Pavement better than esteemed journalist Everett True who said: "If this section of the book was like an early Pavement song , there would be precious few tangible points of reference. Everything would be a fog of confusion. There would be plenty of strange and intriguing interruptions, a handful of tangents and quotes that might or might not reveal something, and a little humour. If this section was like Pavement, it would be self-effacing yet quietly confident. It would rock. There would be plenty of mystery, much seriousness and not a little intelligence. The words would flow not for the sake of meaning, but for the sake of sound. Tunes would be at a premium, noise levels too. It would roll and sway and rumble along merrily under its own steam. But writing about Pavement is like skiing with marshmallows" - Oh well least I tried...