Matador reported last month (scroll down a bit) that the label will be releasing a remastered version of Pavement's classic sophomore album, Crooked Rain, Crooken Rain, in honor of the 10 year anniversary of its initial release. Matador's upcoming releases page lists October 26 as the release date for the two-disc set, which will feature "alternate takes/mixes and previously unreleased songs" much like the critically-acclaimed "Luxe & Reduxe" edition of the band's Slanted & Enchanted that Matador released in 2002. While it won't be out for months, I'm already extremely psyched.

MP3 Pavement - "Gold Sounds"
I used to listen to Crooked Rain, Crooken Rain a lot when I rode my bike around as a teenager. In hindsight, I suppose that wasn't the safest course of action, but oh well. This album always puts me in a sunny, laid-back summertime mood, and "Gold Sounds" has always been the disc's centerpiece for me (yes, even more than "Range Life"). So smile, it's free.

MP3 Amfibian - "Elevate Me Later"
Here's another track from Crooked Rain, Crooken Rain, covered by the original line-up of (Phish lyricist) Tom Marshall's Amfibian. Recorded live at Wetlands Preserve (R.I.P.) in NYC back on 11/4/00, this is a relatively concise version of the song, which I've heard stretched & jammed out on other Amfibian recordings from that era. While Marshall reformed Amfibian this year with completely new personnel, back in 2000 the band featured east coast veteran rocker Chris Harford, as well as RANA's Andrew Southern & Scott Metzger, who tears it up here on lead guitar.

bonus MP3 Pavement - "Spit on a Stranger"
Courtesy of Matador, this is the lead-off track from Pavement's final album, 1999's Terror Twilight. Some fans poo-poo this disc because it wasn't as noisy/weird as some of the band's earlier material, but I like it quite a bit. Given his work with his new band the Jicks, you can tell that frontman Stephen Malkmus was going in a slightly cleaner, "poppier" direction that could be heard on Terror Twilight. And I like what he's done with the Jicks.

Lastly, some more politics. Despite being on vacation, the Majority Report blog is still up & running (courtesy annatopia), providing video for President Bush's MOV latest gaffe (1.1mb). It can also be found @ The Smoking Gun.

This entry was posted by mr gilbert at 8/10/2004 04:30:00 AM.