Search - Pavement :: Slanted & Enchanted: Luxe & Reduxe

Can't go wrong with Pavement

Hippie Smell | Brooklyn | 07/24/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"In this 2-disc set you get a remastered version of Slanted and enchanted a few choice cut singles from the pre-matador sessions, a couple of alternate studio out-takes from the Slanted Era, the first John Peel sessions, the Watery Domestic EP, the song 'Greenlander' from the I Shot Andy Warhol soundtrack, the b sides from all singles released during that era, an entire concert from the Brixton Academy, and to top it all off you get an incredible packaging job w/original art work and incredible set of liner notes full of pictures and anecdotes from the band and those that were there. All I can say is that I'm an old time Pavement fan and I pretty much already own this stuff from bootlegs, and through tracking down singles and various other compilations. For the most part all of the material compiled is A+ material except for maybe the two studio outtakes and the repeat of Summer Babe 7" version I found to be a little redundant as I can't even notice a difference from the original. The early pre-Slanted singles (Mercy Snack: The Laundromat, B.Blackstick, and My First Mine) may all sound a little too primitive to the uninitiated ear and fit best on the Westing By Musket and Sextant compilation. Outside of that you have an incredible album, with some of the funnest and wittiest songs to come out of the 90's. It's a classic album that spear headed the indie rock revolution. I believe that over time this band will fall right behind Nirvana is the most influential band to come out of the 90's (they've already left those nature kids STP and S.Pumpkins in the dust)."

Gotta get it

Hippie Smell | 11/01/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Run out and buy this on principle alone. This is the Sgt. Pepper's of the 90's (or Revolver, or White Album, or whatever). On a personal note, I credit this album alone for my introduction and long-standing love affair with indie music. I'm sure most people reading this remember the first time they heard it too, sitting there with your jaws on the floor. It is that good, the hype is real.Anyway, Matador, one of the premier indie labels in the country, has finally released the remastered disc including live footage and unreleased tracks. I believe it's to celebrate S&E's 10th anniversiary. The studio album itself remains revolutionary, even upon it's 5,000th listening. It might be ten years old, but each track still reaffirms everything that is wrong with commercial radio and its cohorts. I'll take Steve Malkmus' lyrical obscurity over just about anything out there. The live versions are pure fun, a nostalgiac trip back to the days when grunge was king. Of course, if you like Pavement, you probably laughed at anyone wearing flanel, but I guess that's half the enjoyment in reliving their old, live shows. Summer Babe is still the best song ever to sing along to.This disc should be to music fans what combat boots are to Marines - standard issue."

Pavement Deluxe!

E. A Solinas | MD USA | 05/23/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Pavement was the reigning indie band of the 1990s, with their vibrant rock and Stephen Malkmus's deliciously strange lyrics. And at the 10th anniversary of debut "Slanted and Enchanted"'s release, devoted fans were rewarded with "Slanted and Enchanted: Luxe & Reduxe," with a wealth of live tracks, new tracks, B-sides and more. The original recording itself is a masterful creation: its includes the whooping "Life Singed Her," intricate "Trigger Cut/Wounded-Kite At :17," droning "In the Mouth of a Desert," gently poppy "Zürich Is Stained" and jangling, shimmering "Loretta's Scars," before wrapping up with the solid acoustic "Our Singer." But no sooner has the rat-a-tat percussion of "Our Singer" faded out than the new stuff begins: The "Slanted Sessions," which include the droning "Mercy Snack: The Laundromat," the catchy rocker "Baptist Blacktick," a rawer, rougher alternate mix of "Here," and the shimmery indie "Nothing Ever Happens" (which sounds a bit like the Beatles). The first disc fades out with the John Peel Session #1 -- which has never been released before -- four fuzzy, solid renditions of their songs.The second disc is almost as good, kicking off with the Watery, Domestic tracks: the ear-tingling feedback that opens "Texas Never Whispers," the sweeping "Frontwards," and the poppy "Shoot the Singer (1 Sick Verse)." The Watery Sessions are on a somewhat grimmer note with the melancholy "Greenlander," the gothic-sounding "Sue Me Jack," and the drizzly "So Stark (You're A Skyscraper)."A second John Peel session -- also never before released -- which starts off on a grey, drizzly note but builds up to the muffled shrieks and roars of "List of Dorms." Finally, the second disc rounds off to a live performance at London's Brixton Academy in late 1992: A surprisingly clear, sharp-sounding rendition of their songs -- you can almost feel the energy crackling from Malkmus's voice.And accompanying the two discs of music is a thick little booklet the size of a skinny CD jewel case. It doesn't really provide many new insights into the songs themselves, but it does give a look into where the guys from Pavement were before rocketing to indie-godhood. It looks like a bunch of notes pasted together, especially with some scrawled lyrics in the middle of it, written in marker with lines crossed out.Pavement is one of those wonderful bands that have a subtle influence on many of the bands who come after them, such as, for example, Weezer. Their fuzzy, roiling guitar was offset by creative flourishes that can make your heart bleed and your ears tingle. And don't be deceived by the seeming simplicity of these songs -- under the fuzzy guitar and machine-gun percussion are outstanding melodies.Pavement may be gone, but it's not forgotten. And "Slanted and Enchanted: Luxe and Reduxe" is among the best rereleases I've seen yet, with its overwhelming wealth of extras and bonuses. Vibrant and timeless -- and the rarities and B-sides make it even better."