小简介
支离破碎的歌曲，急促突然，爆发的回授，简短的歌唱，神秘，文学性的歌词，挑衅似的低保真。这些东西使PavemenT自己成为９０年代美国另类摇滚乐队中最为独特和最具影响力的一只。正是Pavement与Sebadoh一起领导了成为９０年代美国地下摇滚主要方向的Lo-Fi运动。乐队最开始只是录音室的临时演奏阵容。吉他手Stephen Malkmus与主唱Scott Kannberg，使这个临时拼凑起来的阵容演变成了后来的乐队。他们的首张专辑１９９２年的"Slanted and Enchanted"为他们吸引了同行，乐迷，和舆论的注意。没多久，乐队那独特的音乐－简洁，神秘的美国地下摇滚，对噪音的喜爱。使他们在美国和英国都引来了无数的模仿者。然而直到此时，乐队才因为一位臭名昭著的吸毒成员，前嬉皮鼓手Gary Young的加盟成为一支真正意义上的乐队。Young于１９９３年离开了乐队。当时乐队正在调整自己的方向，使音乐边的为乾净直接。这次调整的结果就是１９９４年的专辑 Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain。因为其中的一首热门歌曲“Cut Your Hair"，使这张专辑成为一张畅销品。相对于主流来说，Pavement古怪奇异，最后乐队终于明白：他们注定只能做为一支地下乐队。
大事记
Stephen Malkmus 是在佛吉尼亚大学毕业后回加州开创他的音乐事业的，他与儿时的朋友Scott Kannberg一道组成了Pavement。１９８９年Pavement发行了他们的第一张EP：Slay Tracks: (1933-1969)。这张７英寸EP是在当地的一间叫做“比你认为的响”的录音室里，花了８００美圆录制而成的。录音室的主人,已４０岁的Gary Young在这张EP里，间或充当一下鼓手。唱片则在两人自己的唱片公司Treble Kicker发行。在这张唱片中，你可以听到the Fall,R.E.M,the Pixies,Sonic Youth的混合体。这张唱片虽然只发行了几百张，却成功的流传到了那些在非主流界很有影响力的重要人士手中，例如英国DJ John Peel。Pavement在唱片内页除了注明乐队成员"S.M.","Spiral Stairs"之外，就没有乐队的任何资料了。这使他们显得格外神秘。直到１９９０年，乐队发行EP:Demolition Plot J-7时，成员们真正才学会如何将所受的影响转化为自己独特的声音。这一年乐队签约Drag City公司，Gary Young也非正式的加入了乐队。１９９１年乐队发行了EP:Perfect Sound Forever。
马上他们举办了第一次演唱会。在他们准备演唱会时，贝司手 Mark Ibold成为乐队第四名成员。同时由于Gary Young经常缺席，他们又挑了一名鼓手Bob Nastanovich作为后备。乐队第一次以完整的阵容出现，并录制了专辑 "Slanted and Enchanted"。尽管乐队这些成员从未凑在一起录制过任何东西，这张１９９２年由Matador发行的专辑仍然赢得了很多好评。甚至当Matador还未开始进行促销。大肆赞扬的乐评就已开始在媒体上出现。刚开始，乐队的歌曲只是流传在乐评界和歌迷中，但很快，大街小巷就都开始谈论他们了。顺应时势，Pavement也踏上了全国巡演的路途。虽然这次巡演并未到达很多城市，乐队还是因为他们貌似草率的音乐和Gary Young哗众取宠的表演而倍受瞩目（他在入口处向听众致意并分发沙拉，在台上演出时倒立，有时则喝的酩酊大醉。）。终于Young在１９９３年被要求离开乐队。他对乐队最后的贡献则是１９９２年秋季发行的EP"Watery Domestic"。他的位置由Steve West取代。West是Nastanovich的朋友。West加入后不久，乐队早年间的录音由Drag City&127;&127;收集在一起，以Westing (By Musket and Sextant)的名字发行。
Young离开乐队后，乐队的音乐似乎被"净化"了。也许是因为有了一位坚定的鼓手并在真正的录音室里录音的关系。乐队的改变可以在 Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain里听出来。１９９４年的这张专辑几乎使Pavement跨入了主流乐队的行列。从某种意义上说，乐队已经做到了这一点。专辑打入了排行榜第１２１名，单曲"Cut You Hair"进入了“现代摇滚榜”与MTV的热门十大单曲。即使得到了如许好评，评论仍然没办法把Pavement当做摇滚明星而非地下乐队看待。这一年 Stephen Malkmus 与Scott Kannberg除了一手炮制出这张“热买”专辑外，还参与了Silver Jews第二张专辑“Starlight Walker”的录制工作。（Silver Jews的首脑David Berman是他俩校园时代的朋友。）
到了第三张专辑，乐队似乎又走回了粗糙，不加修饰的老路。１９９５年的这张"Wowee Zowee"比乐队以前的作品具有更多折衷主义成分，也显得更加不可接受，还沉迷在 Slanted & Enchanted 与Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain 中的乐迷与媒体纷纷批评这张专辑。其实也难怪如此，乐队居然将这次的录音地点选在监狱里。就是在这种气氛中，乐队度过了接下来的两年。然而在第五届Lollapalooza音乐节上，乐队却受到很大欢迎。１９９６年，他们在发行了一张EP：Pacific Trim之后，将剩余的时间都花在了录制第四张专辑上（由Mitch Easter监制）。1997年二月，乐队发行了Brighten the Corners，这又是一张倍受好评的作品，并登上了排行榜第７０位。
Pavement并非唯一的Lo-Fi乐队，却肯定是独一无二的Lo-Fi乐队。乐队成军十年，虽然只发行了４张专辑，但可以说张张经典。毫无疑问，今天的Pavement，已跨入了R.E.M,Husker DU等经典乐队级别的行列。
With their fractured songs, unexpected blasts of feedback, laconic vocals, cryptic literate lyrics, and defiant low-fidelity, Pavement were one of the most influential and distinctive bands to emerge from the American underground in the 90s. Pavement, along with Sebadoh, were the leaders of the lo-fi movement that dominated U.S. indie rock in the early 90s. Initially conceived as a studio project between guitarists/vocalists Stephen Malkmus and Scott Kannberg in the 80s, Pavement gradually became a band during the early 90s. Along the way, their initial EPs and debut album, 1992s Slanted & Enchanted, earned a devoted following of musicians, indie fans, and critics. Before long, the groups aesthetics — a combination of elliptic, cryptic underground American rock, unrepentant Anglophilia, a fondness for white noise, off-kilter arrangements and winding melodies, songs that frequently had shifting titles, and literate, clever lyrics — were imitated by underground bands through America and Britain. By that point, Pavement had become an actual band, one with a notorious, acid-fried ex-hippie drummer called Gary Young. Young left the band in 1993 as the band made the move to clean up their sound, if not their sensibility, on 1994s Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain. Their revampment resulted in a near-hit with Cut Your Hair, but the mainstream decided Pavement were too strange for their tastes and the band decided it preferred the underground, leaving the group as one of the most popular — and the most influential — American indie rock bands of the 90s.
Stephen Malkmus (vocals, guitar) had finished studying history at the University of Virginia and returned to Stockton, CA, when he formed Pavement with childhood friend Scott Kannberg (guitar, vocals) in 1989. Pavement released their first 7 EP, Slay Tracks: (1933-1969), by the summer of 1989. Recorded for 800 dollars at the small local studio Louder Than You Think — which was owned by Gary Young, a fortysomething drummer who appeared on the EP — and released on the duos own indie label, Treble Kicker, Slay Tracks demonstrated sonic debts to the Fall, R.E.M., the Pixies, and Sonic Youth. While there were only a couple hundred copies pressed of the EP, it managed to work its way to several influential people within the underground industry, including British DJ John Peel. Furthermore, the EP, which was credited only to S.M. and Spiral Stairs, became something of an enigma, since it was supported by no press releases or information about the band. By the 1990 release of Demolition Plot J-7, the band had begun to forge these influences into its own signature sound. Pavement moved to Drag City Records and added Young as a member during the recording of Demolition Plot J-7, but the band didnt perform any concerts until after the 1991 release of Perfect Sound Forever.
During preparation for their first concerts in 1991, Pavement added bassist Mark Ibold and, in order to bolster Youngs shaky timekeeping, a second drummer named Bob Nastanovich, who had attended college with Malkmus. The new lineup appeared on the bands first full-length album, Slanted & Enchanted, although the group didnt record any of the album as a full band; instead, it was pieced together by Malkmus and Kannberg. Before it was released on Matador Records in the spring of 1992, Slanted & Enchanted created extremely good word-of-mouth praise; before the album was even available promotionally, critics were lavishly praising it in the press. Initially, the bands following was based upon critics and fellow musicians, but soon word began to spread on the street as well. Pavement supported the album with their first national tour, and while it didnt reach many cities, it became notorious for the bands sloppy sound and Youngs grandstanding. He would greet the audience at the door, shaking their hands; he would perform handstands during the show; he would hand out salads at the door; he would occasionally collapse drunk. Young was asked to leave the band during 1993; his last release with the group was the EP Watery, Domestic, which was released in the fall of 1992. He was replaced by Steve West, a friend of Nastanovich. After West joined the band, the bands early EPs were compiled on Drag Citys 1993 collection Westing (By Musket and Sextant).
Pavements sound cleaned up somewhat after Youngs departure; it was a combination of having a steady drummer and recording in real studios. Some pundits predicted that Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain, the 1994 follow-up to Slanted & Enchanted, would be Pavements breakthrough into the mainstream. To a certain extent, it was. The album debuted on the U.S. charts at 121 and Cut Your Hair became a Top Ten modern rock hit and MTV hit. But despite the albums overwhelmingly positive reviews, Crooked Rain simply expanded Pavements cult dramatically, confirming their status as underground, not mainstream, stars. Following the release of Crooked Rain, Pavement recorded sporadically during 1994; Malkmus and Nastanovich also contributed to Starlite Walker, the full-length debut by the Silver Jews, which was led by their college friend David Berman.
Pavement returned with their third album, Wowee Zowee, in the spring of 1995. More sprawling and eclectic than either of its predecessors, the album proved once again that Pavement were a leader of the underground instead of alternative rocks Next Big Thing. Despite the mixed response Wowee Zowee received from critics — which sparked a Pavement backlash in the press that continued for the next two years — most of the groups die-hard fans embraced the album. The band also landed a spot on the fifth Lollapalooza, which featured likeminded artists such as Beck and Sonic Youth. Though it may have been financially lucrative, the gig proved frustrating for the band; sandwiched in the middle of the main stages bill, Pavement found themselves playing to fewer people than they might have, had they headlined the second stage.
The group began 1996 with the release of the Pacific Trim EP and spent the rest of the year recording their fourth album with producer Mitch Easter. Released in early 1997, Brighten the Corners was seen as a return to the groups more accessible, Crooked Rain-like sound; it was greeted with positive reviews and debuted at number 70 on the American charts. After extensive touring in the U.S. and worldwide, Pavement took a break for the first half of 1998. That summer, among the bandmembers off-duty activities, both Malkmus and Kannberg performed solo gigs: Malkmus introduced new Silver Jews and Pavement songs at the two L.A. dates he played with Scarnella (Nels Cline and the Geraldine Fibbers Carla Bozulichs side project), while Kannberg played drums with Half Five Quarter to Six (an impromptu 80s cover band featuring other San Francisco-based musicians) at a charity event called One Night Stand. Kannberg also started his own label, Pray for Mojo (later renamed Amazing Grease), which featured bands like the psych-pop combo Oranger.
That fall, Pavement regrouped and recorded Terror Twilight with producer Nigel Godrich, whose intricate, polished style graced albums by Natalie Imbruglia, Beck, and, most famously, Radiohead. That groups guitarist, Jonny Greenwood, played harmonica on the albums sessions. When Terror Twilight arrived in the summer of 1999, it won uniformly positive reviews, but its bigger, cleaner sound and lack of any Kannberg songs made it feel suspiciously like a disguised Stephen Malkmus solo album. The Major Leagues EP did feature songs from Kannberg — which he recorded with Gary Young at Louder Than You Think — but this did little to dispel the breakup rumors Pavement had been dodging since Malkmus solo gigs, in which he admitted that the bandmembers desires to live outside of Pavement could spell the groups end. He announced that the band was indeed finished at their November 20, 1999, date at the London Brixton Academy: with a set of handcuffs hanging from his mic stand — which he said symbolized being a part of a band — Malkmus thanked Pavements fans for coming all these years.
However, the official word from the band and Matador Records was that Pavement were merely on hiatus. But, in the spring of 2000, word got out that both Kannberg and Malkmus were readying solo projects: Kannbergs, named the Preston School of Industry, reunited him with Gary Young; Malkmus was initially called the Jicks, then rechristened Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks, and included drummer John Moen, formerly of the Dharma Bums and the Fastbacks, and bassist Joanna Bolme, who had also worked with the Minders. An interview with Malkmus in the November 2000 issue of Spin confirmed Pavements breakup for once and all. Ibold, West, and Nastanovich also stayed busy during the groups hiatus: Ibold started his own label, West toured and recorded with his project Marble Valley, and Nastanovich maintained his horse-racing tip sheet Lucky Lavender. Late in 2000, it was announced that Malkmus solo album — which had the working title of Swedish Reggae — would be known simply as Stephen Malkmus, and that he and the Jicks would tour in the spring of 2001 with Elasticas Justine Frischmann joining on as an additional guitarist and Nastanovich as their road manager. Kannberg and his group also began playing dates in early 2001.
Despite the bands somewhat confusing and frustrating end, Pavement helped steer the course of 90s indie rock in a consistently intelligent, unpredictable — and even fun — direction. In late October of 2002, Matador released a massively expanded version of the seminal Slanted & Enchanted. The version contained an astounding 36 bonus tracks ranging from an entire live performance to revealing B-sides. A retrospective double-DVD set entitled Slow Century was welcomed concurrently. Matador then released a similarly expanded edition of Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain in 2004 and Wowee Zowee in 2006, all the more confirming Pavements legacy as indie rock trailblazers.
