Westing (By Musket And Sextant)

Q - 3 Stars (out of 5) - "...currently the hippest American indie rock band....they sometimes sound like The Fall, the Velvets and Swell Maps coupled with a rhythmic feel that recalls '60s psychedelic `jug' bands....an exciting alternative to grunge..." Rolling Stone - 3.5 Stars (out of 5) - "...Imagine a world in which Sonic Youth aren't smug, the Fall don't think they're literary, Tommy James has had it with playing to the kiddies and Iggy Pop hits all the notes. Now imagine they're all one band. That band is Pavement..." NME - 6 (out of 10) - "...to call the majority of this material abstract is a bit like saying Dali knocked out some odd little sketches from time to time....You could never accuse Pavement of not being interesting..." Spin - Highly Recommended - "...there's gold in this here murk....a record all connoisseurs of clamor will cherish....You could argue that this noise-for-noise's-sake approach is going nowhere, but it's going there in terrific style..."

A collection of all of Pavement's low-fidelity early singles and EPs, which feature considerably less melody than Slanted and Enchanted. It's nice to have this rare material on one CD, although the music is defiantly anti-CD. Those who boarded the train with the acclaimed Slanted and Enchanted should catch up on what they've missed. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine|