Pavement (band)

Pavement was an American indie rock band that formed in Stockton, California in 1989. The group mainly consisted of Stephen Malkmus (vocals and guitar), Scott Kannberg (guitar and vocals), Mark Ibold (bass), Steve West (drums) and Bob Nastanovich (percussion and vocals). Initially conceived as a recording project, the band at first avoided press or live performances, while attracting considerable underground attention with their early releases. Gradually evolving into a more polished band, Pavement recorded five full-length albums and nine EPs over the course of their decade-long career, though they disbanded with some acrimony in 1999 as the members moved on to other projects. In 2010, they undertook a well-received reunion tour.

Though only briefly brushing the mainstream with the single "Cut Your Hair" in 1994, Pavement was a successful indie rock band. Rather than signing with a major label as many of their 1980s forebears had done, they remained signed to independent labels throughout their career and have often been described as one of the most influential bands to emerge from the American underground in the '90s. Some prominent music critics, such as Robert Christgau and Stephen Thomas Erlewine, went so far as to call them the best band of the 1990s. In their career, they also achieved a significant cult following.

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Pavement

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See also

Wowee Zowee

Wowee Zowee is the third studio album by Pavement. The album showcased a more experimental and spontaneous side of the group, returning them to the clatter and unpredictability of their early recordings after the more traditional rock sound of 1994's Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain.

Rolling Stone speculated that the relative success of their previous album (having sold 169,000 copies by this time) was a reason for this album's eclectic nature; the magazine's review claimed Pavement were afraid of success. Stephen Malkmus refuted this, attributing the stylistic shift to excessive marijuana consumption. Rolling Stone later voted Wowee Zowee the 12th Coolest Album of all time.

Matador Records released an expanded 2 disc edition of this album under the title Wowee Zowee: Sordid Sentinels Edition on November 6, 2006, which featured extensive liner notes, outtakes and b-sides.

Recording

The songs "Grounded," "Flux = Rad," "Pueblo," and "Kennel District" were originally written at the same time as the songs that became Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain, and rough versions appear on Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain: LA's Desert Origins disc 2.

Gold Soundz

"Gold Soundz" is the second single released from Pavement's 1994 album Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain. The song did not perform particularly well as a single, failing to chart on the Billboard Hot Modern Rock Tracks chart, where their previous single, "Cut Your Hair", peaked at #10. All the B-sides from both versions of the single are included on the reissue Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain: LA's Desert Origins. Pitchfork Media listed "Gold Soundz" at #1 on their list of the Top 200 Tracks of the 1990s

Track listing

USA

Australia/New Zealand/French Micronesia 1994 tour EP

As listed on the CD cover:

Music video

In the song's promotional video, directed by Scott Blen, the band members are dressed in Santa Claus suits as they cavort through various locations in and around Irvine, California. They go on a scavenger hunt, trying to find a chicken, which has a key to a car, which takes them to a hill next to a parking lot. Some of the members slide off, but still stay on the hill.