Pavement - Quarantine The Past: The Best Of Pavement Review

Posted by David Hayter on 03.13.2010

After a decade in the wilderness Pavement have finally returned to us. But is Quarantine The Past merely a cynical cash in on the reunion buzz or is this latest offering an essential entry into Pavement's back catalogue?



Pavement - Quarantine The Past: The Best Of Pavement

1. "Gold Soundz" - 2:40 - from Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain (1994)
2. "Frontwards" – 3:01 - from Watery, Domestic (1992)
3. "Mellow Jazz Docent" – 1:52 - from Perfect Sound Forever (EP) (1991)
4. "Stereo" – 3:07 - from Brighten the Corners (1997)
5. "In the Mouth a Desert" – 3:48 - from Slanted and Enchanted (1992)
6."Two States" – 1:48 - from Slanted and Enchanted (1992)
7. "Cut Your Hair" – 3:05 - from Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain (1994)
8. "Shady Lane / J Vs. S" – 3:51 - from Brighten the Corners (1997)
9. "Here" – 3:55 - from Slanted and Enchanted (1992)
10. "Unfair" – 2:31 - from Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain (1994)
11. "Grounded" – 4:15 - from Wowee Zowee (1995)
12. "Summer Babe (Winter Version)" – 3:15 - from Slanted and Enchanted (1992)
13. "Range Life" – 4:56 - from Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain (1994)
14. "Date w/ IKEA" - 2:38 - from Brighten the Corners (1997)
15. "Debris Slide" - 1:56 - from Perfect Sound Forever (EP) (1991)
16. "Shoot the Singer (1 Sick Verse)" - 3:15 - from Watery, Domestic (1992)
17. "Spit on a Stranger" - 3:01 - from Terror Twilight (1999)
18. "Heaven is a Truck" - 2:29 - from Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain (1994)
19. "Trigger Cut/Wounded-Kite At :17" - 3:15 - from Slanted and Enchanted (1992)
20. "Embassy Row" - 3:50 - from Brighten the Corners (1997)
21. "Box Elder" - 2:24 - from Slay Tracks (1933–1969) (1989)
22. "Unseen Power of the Picket Fence" - 3:50 - from No Alternative Compilation (1993)
23. "Fight this Generation" - 4:23 - from Wowee Zowee (1995)

In late 2009 Pavement emerged from the wilderness to announce their first live shows in over a decade. Despite achieving little commercial success during their initial ten year run their live return has been greeted with feverish enthusiasm. With a showcase slot announced at Coachella in the US and impressive four night sold out stint at the Brixton Academy in the UK; it seems that Pavement have finally got their just rewards for a career of musical excellence away from the mainstream. During the 1990s Pavement were the definitive alternative act, taking over where The Fall and Sonic Youth had left off, they created a series of effortlessly brilliantly albums and came to epitomize the hazy slacker aesthetic of the US alternative scene.

Pavement always were one of the great album’s bands. While Stephen Malkmus could produce gorgeous melodies and irresistible laid back hooks at will; Pavement will always be remember not for sure fire singles “Cut Your Hair” and “Shady Lane” but for their irresistible LPs Slanted & Enchanted and Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain. In fact during Pavement’s ten year run they never released even a single EP that was anything less than essential. The great strength of albums like Slanted & Enchanted was their start to finish brilliance, they flowed together so organically and beautifully that listening to individual tracks out of order or in isolations seemed to somehow devalue the work as a whole. Furthermore since their split in 1999 Pavement have taken great care of their back catalogue and their fans. Releasing deluxe editions of all their LPs; full of rarities, live versions and B-sides, in fact fans already have easy access to Pavement's entire illustrious back catalogue.

So with all this in mind, one question remains, why on earth do we need a Pavement best of? Is this anything other than a cheap and easy cash in on their reunion tour? Well cynically the answer is yes, for Pavement diehards there is no reason to own Quarantine The Past. There is nothing new on offer here, only “Unseen Power Of The Picket Fence” can truly be described as a rarity. However, it is worth pointing out that there is no official Pavement best of in existence prior to this realize, and for Pavement noobs or those intrigued but unsure where to start there is no easily accessible starting point available; until now. Quarantine The Past should therefore be judged in that light and the questions that should be asked are two fold: first, does this selection of twenty three tracks truly represent everything that makes Pavement great, and second, does Quarantine The Past function as a start to finish coherent piece.

Well Pavement certainly spread the love around, there are healthy doses of their two landmark LPs with five tracks taken from both Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain and Slanted & Enchanted. The other thirteen tracks are a real mixed bag with tracks from both Brighten The Corners and Wowee Zowee but also a healthy dose of songs taken from a variety of EPs. This variety truly accentuates how utterly superb Pavement were throughout their run as each track feels just as timeless and resplendent as the last.

Interestingly Quarantine The Past runs out of chronological order and yet it fits together with remarkable ease. It’s clear that a lot of care and attention has been paid to the arrangement of this best of. The listener truly reaps the reward of the compilers endeavor as the LP hits upon a series of perfectly constructed emotional highs. Particularly the deliciously hazy run of dream pop that extends for seven tracks at the albums core between “Shady Lane” and “Date With Ikea”. Each track manages to meld gorgeously into the last despite dramatic jumps in period and in some cases style. The perfect example of this arrangement is the blend of day dream ballad “Range Life” into the classic American bar room rawk of “Date With Ikea”. The thudding piano that subtly emerges at the end of “Range Life” helps transition from country stomp into the dirty rock and roll guitars of “Date With Ikea” and the hazy laid back chorus of the latter completes the connection spiritually tying it to the former. This doesn't happen by accident, it may seem effortless but it's clearly taken a lot of careful consideration.

Quarantine The Past’s greatest strength is of course Pavements greatest strength, the divine song writing of Stephen Malkmus. Everything about his performance just oozes effortless cool; beautiful, inspiring, ironic and sometimes hilarious verse just seem to readily fall from his lips. Ultimately it is the sense of effortlessness that makes Pavement so special, while so many bands try desperately hard to appear cool, edgy or arty (see Bloc Party & Foals) it all came naturally to Pavement. You never cringe when you hear a Malkmus vocal it always feels sincere and it always feels organic. It’s remarkable that Pavement manage to appear nonplussed without ever feeling dispassionate. Malkmus almost gives the game away on “Frontwards” as he yawns “I’ve Got Style For Miles And Miles, So Much Style That It’s Wasting”. While the 90s alternative aesthetic may no longer be in fashion Pavement never feel dated, and Malkmus’ one liners and subtle knowing in jokes feel just as cool as they ever did. Everyone has there own favourite Pavement couplet whether it’s the vocal interplay between Malkmus and his “fact checking cuz” on “Stereo” and “Cut Your Hair” or the parade of uber cool observations and ironic phraseology that constitute “Shady Lane”.

Perhaps more staggering than Malkmus sharp lyricism is Pavement’s uncanny ability to create irresistible melodies, it seems no matter what style Pavement attempt you can guarantee and inescapable hook. When you strip away the fuzzy lo-fi guitars and the pithy observation and look at the heart of Pavement you find a string of unrelenting catchy pop songs. The melodies are so subversive that I found myself accidentally singing aloud while listening to this album at the gym and on the train. The fact that Pavement can write such unabashedly sweet and harmonious melodies and retain an ice cool mystique is nothing short of remarkable.

Musically Quarantine The Past gives you a flavour of Pavement’s entire arsenal. There’s the straight fuzzy pop charms of “Frontwards”, the riff heavy rock of “Stereo”, The Fall-esk call and repeat brooding of “Two States”, the country charm of “Range Life, the CBGB punk sensibilities of “Debris Slide”, the low key balladeering of “Here”, the Pixies meets The Replacements charm of “In The Mouth A Desert”, and everything in between. Pavement core guitar sound has never been particularly unique there are obvious nods to their alternative god fathers The Pixies, Television and The Fall, there’s even a pinched riff from The Rolling Stones on “Mellow Jazz Doscent”; but this matters little. Pavement are an incredibly tight unit, and they have a great knack for composition, everything is in the right place, the guitar always clangs or soars at the absolute perfect moment. In many ways they were the forerunners to the new musical minimalism The Strokes would introduce to the mainstream in 2001. And like The Strokes it might not be hard to spot the influences upon Pavement’s music but it’s next to impossible to name anyone whose done it better.

By the end of the twenty three tracks that make up Quarantine The Past you have been taken on a tour across a decade of innovation and musical excellence. You’ve been shown all the elements that made Pavement one of music’s most essential bands. And more than just serving up all the biggest hits from Pavement’s back catalogue (and they are all there) they have offered up a series of shrewd and intriguing song selections that truly represent the entirety of Pavement’s genius. Quarantine The Past is an album that features nothing we haven't heard before and yet feels like a brand new Pavement LP. It has been careful composed to create a satisfying and rewarding start to finish listen. Everything flows organically and while there are clear musical evolutions and detours Quarantine The Past never feels awkward and never feels forced. Fittingly Quarantine The Past is just like Pavement; it’s cool, it's laid back and it's effortlessly brilliant.

The 411: Quarantine The Past may not offer us anything we haven't already heard, but with a carefully considered song selection Pavement have managed to create an LP that feels both natural and rewarding. Showcasing everything that made Pavement such a unique and revolutionary force in the music industry. Ultimately Quarantine The Past's greatest strength is that it never feels like a Pavement best of. Rather than being an awkward mix tape crammed full of obviously hits Quarantine The Past feels like a self contained LP that flows organically from start to finish. A perfect starting point for newcomers and astoundingly a rewarding listen for Pavement veterans. Quarantine The Past feels every bit as essential as Slanted & Enchanted or Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain, and slots effortlessly into Pavement's back catalogue

Final Score:  9.5   [  Amazing ]