Crooked Rain Crooked Rain

Certain Songs #1490: Pavement – “Range Life”

March 24, 2019 by Jim Connelly

Album: Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain
Year: 1994

“I/they don’t have no function”

It’s kinda funny how the most controversial song on Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain was basically a country-rock cruiser, and that the controversy wasn’t surrounding the fact that the music was miles and miles away from the punky fuzzouts they’d done on Slanted and Enchanted, but rather a throwaway punch-up joke that was taken too far seriously by its target.

Which is too bad, because that controversy kinda overshadowed what was perhaps the sharpest set of lyrics on the entire album — which is saying something — that contrast some hoary rock ‘n’ roll tropes with the desire to have some stability in life.

Certain Songs #1489: Pavement – “Gold Soundz”

March 23, 2019 by Jim Connelly

Album: Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain
Year: 1994

“So drunk in the August sun”

I’ve never owned Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain on vinyl, but how much fun would it have been to be able to turn the record and have a second to recover from the frenzy of “Unfair” before the gorgeous opening of “Gold Soundz” kicks in. Instead, on the CD, it’s weirdly jarring, like if you had one of those multi-disc carousel changers and it somehow started playing a totally different CD.

Certain Songs #1488: Pavement – “Unfair”

March 22, 2019 by Jim Connelly

Album: Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain
Year: 1994

“The last psychedelic band from Sacto, Northern Cal!”

Somehow, despite all of the stone classics surrounding it, “Unfair” turned out to be my favorite song from Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain — meaning that it’s my favorite Pavement song, period — as it’s a near-perfect combination of screeching rage, wild guitars, hilarious lyrics and a candy-sweet melody.

To to be honest, melody does take a bit of a backset in this case, but not so much that they don’t get away with producing a song that doesn’t have any chorus at all. Instead, “Unfair” starts at about an intensity level of 9.5 and ends up going to 11. At least.

Certain Songs #1487: Pavement – “Cut Your Hair”

March 21, 2019 by Jim Connelly

Album: Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain
Year: 1994

“Did you see the drummer’s hair?”

Holy shit, this song. I mean, holy fucking shit, this song.

First off, it’s always given me flashbacks to Pete Townshend singing in first person character “Why should I care / If I have to cut my hair” but that’s on me, as Pavement’s “Cut Your Hair” isn’t anything at all like The Who’s “Cut My Hair,” a song which instantly pivots to Jimmy’s issues fitting in with his peers and his parents.

Certain Songs #1486: Pavement – “Silence Kid”

March 20, 2019 by Jim Connelly

Album: Crooked Rain Crooked Rain
Year: 1994

“This is the city life”

Most great albums announce their greatness within just a few seconds: the synth that opens “Baba O’ Riley,” the guitar riff of “Smells Like Teen Spirit,” the stolen drumbeat of “Just Like Honey.”

Others? Well others take a bit to get going. Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain falls into the latter camp. You put it in the CD changer, and it acts like its surprised that you chose it, so it stumbles around a bit gather itself together — random bass notes from Mark Ibold, new drummer Steve West hitting various toms like he’s doing a sound check, Stephen Malkmus trying to get his squawking guitar under control, and you can be excused if you want to ask them if you should come back later when they’re ready to play.