Pavement

Brighten the Corners: Nicene Creedence Edition is the fourth Matador reissue of Pavement's five classic albums, and in addition to the original (remastered to slightly noticeable levels), a second disc boasts 32 extra mostly unreleased tracks.

Though Brighten the Corners doesn't boast Pavement's highest points, it also doesn't have to be ashamed of the band's lowest, either, and is one of the group's more consistent outings. That can be a good or a bad thing, depending on where on the endearing/aggravating scale you place Wowee Zowee's sloppy extremes. R.E.M. producer Mitch Easter and Bryce Goggin worked the album, a neat pairing with the band's refined, melodically focused tunes. (And perhaps Easter's drawn to overanalyzed lyricists.)

Brighten the Corners extends some of the country and classic-rock ideas Pavement played with on Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain, but gives them a more abstract sheen. The anthemic "Stereo" comes across as a glorious singalong, though one which is also an example of bandleader Stephen Malkmus at his most self-reflexive (and reflective).

The album's second disc is packed with B-sides, outtakes and 14 live songs (John Peel sessions, BBC clips and a Free Tibet concert offering). "Harness Your Hopes" is a flat-out terrific song with great hooks—Brighten the Corners was Pavement's guitar album—and tracks like "Beautiful as a Butterfly" or the boogie-ing "Roll With the Wind" argue that the band's second-string songs were miles ahead of a lot of the band's peers. Then there's the embossed slipcase holds a poster, postcards, and a comprehensive, to understate the case, 62-page booklet which features, among many, many other things, a '97 New Yorker piece by Alex Ross. Eleven years on, and the album holds up, freed from context and expectation.

—Chris Hassiotis
01.04.08

There's a difference between accessibility and focus, which Pavement illustrate with their fourth album, Brighten the Corners. Arriving on the heels of the glorious mess of Wowee Zowee, the cohesive sound and laid-back sarcasm of Brighten the Corners can give the record the illusion of being accessible, or at the very least a retreat toward the songcraft of Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain. And the record is calm, with none of the full-out blasts of noise that marked all of their previous releases. It would be easy to dismiss the absence of noise as mere maturity, or a move toward more accessible songcraft, but neither statement is entirely true. Brighten the Corners is mature but wise-assed, melodic but complex -- it's a record that reveals its gifts gradually, giving you enough information the first time to make you want come back for more. At first, the dissonant singsong verse of "Stereo" seems awkward, but it's all pulled into perspective with the gleeful, addictive outburst of the chorus, and that is a microcosm of the album's appeal. The first time around, the winding melody of "Shady Lane," the psycho jangle pop of "Date With Ikea," the epic grace of "Type Slowly," and the speedy rush of "Embassy Row" make an impression, but repeated listens reveal sonic and lyrical details that make them indelible. Similarly, Stephen Malkmus' hip-hop inflections on "Blue Hawaiian" and the quiet beauty of "Transport Is Arranged" unfold over time. While the preponderance of slow songs and laid-back production makes the album more focused than Wowee Zowee, it doesn't have the rich diversity of its predecessor -- "Type Slowly" comes closest to the grand, melancholic beauty of "Grounded" -- but it remains a thoroughly compelling listen. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide