Pavement was an American indie rock band in the 1990s. Although they experienced only moderate commercial success, they achieved a significant cult following & were one of the more popular and influential lo-fi rock bands of the 1990s.
The group remained signed to an independent label throughout their entire career. Pavement formed in Stockton, California in 1989 as a studio project of guitarists and vocalists Stephen Malkmus and Scott Kannberg, known originally only as "S.M." and "Spiral Stairs", respectively. Their debut EPs were extremely lo-fi releases titled Slay Tracks (1933-1969), Demolition Plot J-7, and Perfect Sound Forever. They were recorded at Louder Than You Think, the home studio of Stockton local and former hippie Gary Young who also played drums on the recordings. Upon first hearing the duo's songs, Young was quoted as saying, "this Malkmus idiot is a complete songwriting genius". After the release of Slay Tracks, a new drummer, Jason Fawkes, was drafted to replace Young both live and in the studio. However, after just one tour and a handful of recording sessions, when it became apparent Fawkes and Malkmus did not get along well, Fawkes was soon ousted and Young reinstalled. Pavement's most obvious influence during this time was English rock band The Fall, although Kannberg stated in a 1992 interview that he preferred The Replacements to The Fall. The Fall's primary member, Mark E. Smith, would often angrily claim through the years that Pavement was a "rip-off" of his band & that they didn't "have an original idea in their heads". However, some of the other members of The Fall have been quoted as saying they liked the band. Around 1992 Pavement became a full-time band, with the addition of bassist Mark Ibold who had been one of the band's first fans—and extra percussionist Bob Nastanovich to help Young keep time. Their debut album, Slanted and Enchanted, was released commercially in 1992 after copies had been circulated on cassette tape for nearly a year. Though the percussive influence of The Fall was still pervasive (as was that of English post-punk band Swell Maps), many of the songs also exhibited a strong sense of melody. The following year, the band released the EP Watery, Domestic, which represented a balance between their earlier and later styles.
Discography
* Slanted and Enchanted (1992)
* Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain (1994)
* Wowee Zowee (1995)
* Brighten the Corners (1997)
* Terror Twilight (1999)
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