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PAVEMENT Terror Twilight : Farewell Horizontal
( Matador Records )
No other indie rock band had a decade like Pavement had in the 1990s . While Nirvana and Pearl Jam were busy releasing their most bombastic , major-label arena rock albums Pavement quietly offered up their debut Slanted and Enchanted , an odd little collection of arcane tunes seemingly recorded on a tape player in a few late-night sessions . The catchy hooks were there if you dug deep under the tape hiss and disjointed song structures . The boys , which looked like models from the Sears catalogue Slacker Edition , dropped a chain of albums that were ambrosia to critics and festival attendees alike while avoiding major labels and MTV attention . It all seemed like it was building towards a breakthrough moment and the release of their fifth album Terror Twilight had an extra helping of pressure that Pavement normally shrugged off . Radiohead ’ s producer Nigel Godrich expressed interest in the project and for the first time , ever Pavement had an outside influence helping steer the ship . Detailed in the gorgeous liner notes for the reissue of Terror Twilight : Farewell Horizontal , the birth of the album was a different beast than any of their other albums . Singer Stephen Malkmus ended up taking the reins for most of the writing and multiple studios were used while the band never quite gelled with the producer . The result has long been deemed Pavement ’ s worst album … but with their nearly flawless five-album discography that ’ s like saying it ’ s the worst player on the 1992 Olympic Dream Team ( so Terror Twilight is Christian Laettner ). While this is the cleanest recording the band ever released , Nigel Godrich ’ s presence doesn ’ t turn Terror Twilight into an overly labored recording . The band seems a bit more interested in having a few clear-headed sentimental tracks like “ Major Leagues ” and “ Spit On A Stranger ” that could fit in nicely on a Dawson ’ s Creek or Buffy The Vampire Slayer soundtrack while also not shying away from the sludgy freak-outs they are known for like on “ Cream Of Gold ” and “ Platform Blues .” There are still plenty of moments to enjoy , but the disjointed , fractured feeling throughout certainly gives off LetItBevibes with a band on the verge of disintegration . Terror Twilight was released during the summer of 1999 , a
storm of TRL , rap-rock , and nu-metal that was galaxies away from the cozy , intimate alt-rock that Pavement offered with this release . Within a few months of touring the album , the band finally decided to call it quits , fracturing into multiple projects . This beautiful deluxe reissue comes with tons of unreleased photos , liner notes , and interviews as well as a large amount of bonus material , most of it , like early Moog synth demos , meant for diehard fans only . With the band back together for a tour in 2022 and playing two shows in September at the Chicago Theatre maybe Terror Twilight wasn ’ t the end of the road for Pavement after all .
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– Andy Derer
HARRY STYLES Harry ’ s House
( Columbia )
Former One Direction co-founder , actor and international mega-star Harry Styles ’ much anticipated third studio album is his most sonically carefree to date . Harry ’ s House is a breezy summer listen , perfect for a top-down joyride . It ’ s a black and white film camera , yellow sunglasses , an ashtray , and a swimming pool . The lyrics from “ Just Keep Driving ” perfectly encapsulate the feeling and aesthetic . It is lighthearted , pleasant , and lively . With weightlessness and groove present both audibly and thematically throughout the majority of the album . Style is the name of Styles game . Harry ’ s House is a well-constructed , feelgood album crafted for the mindless listen . But this soliciting of withdrawal ends up being its exact weakness ; as his melodic adventure improves , the lyrical depth seems to take a back seat . Harry ’ s House lacks much of the substance and depth present in his previous catalog , and doesn ’ t seem to challenge the notion of Styles being a pop pastiche . Musical inspiration is an inevitable and necessary part of innovation , but when the substance of the original work is left behind , it ’ s difficult to defend such detectable influence . Comfortable production doesn ’ t stop the album from being a fun , upbeat summer treat , but its high will eventually wear off . With a title suggesting intimacy , the album ends up being far more suggestive than evocative , sticking instead to an I-Spy of a Los Angeles vacation rather than a dashboard confessional . There are , of course , exceptions to the general lack of profundity . “ Matilda ”, inspired by the classic Roald Dahl children ’ s book of the same name , has quickly became a fan favorite . Comforting a woman as she navigates letting go of guilt and finding a family , “ Matilda ” brings us into Harry ’ s House with some tea and toast .
This moment of solace is short-lived on the album but surely boosts its blanket quality . Alas , there isn ’ t anything intrinsically illicit about an album made primarily for enjoyment . Yet , for an artist with such personality , the lackluster lyricism leaves more to be desired from a now-seasoned performer under the microscope .
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– Riley Vernon
SPIRITUALIZED Everything Was Beautiful
( Fat Possum )
While Spiritualized certainly gained exposure opening up for Radiohead on their OK Computer world tour , the band
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