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Pavement

Pavement

Band formed in 1989 in Stockton, CA

Disbanded in 1999

Pavement's Genre:

Alternative Pop/Rock, Alternative/Indie Rock, Indie Rock, Lo-Fi, Noise Pop

Biography

With their fractured songs, unexpected blasts of feedback, laconic vocals, cryptic literate lyrics, and defiant low-fidelity, Pavement were one of the most influential and distinctive bands to emerge from the American underground in the '90s. Pavement, along with Sebadoh, were the leaders of the lo-fi movement that dominated U.S. indie rock in the early '90s. Initially conceived as a studio project between guitarists/vocalists Stephen Malkmus and Scott Kannberg in the '80s, Pavement gradually became a band during the early '90s. Along the way, their initial EPs and debut album, 1992's Slanted & Enchanted, earned a devoted following of musicians, indie fans, and critics. Before long, the group's aesthetics -- a combination of elliptic, cryptic underground American rock, unrepentant Anglophilia, a fondness for white noise, off-kilter arrangements and winding melodies, songs that frequently had shifting titles, and literate, clever lyrics -- were imitated by underground bands through America and Britain. By that point, Pavement had become an actual band, one with a notorious, acid-fried ex-hippie drummer called Gary Young. Young left the band in 1993 as the band made the move to clean up their sound, if not their sensibility, on 1994's Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain. Their revampment resulted in a near-hit with "Cut Your Hair," but the mainstream decided Pavement were too strange for their tastes and the band decided it preferred the underground, leaving the group as one of the most popular -- and the most influential -- American indie rock bands of the '90s.

Stephen Malkmus (vocals, guitar) had finished studying history at the University of Virginia and returned to Stockton, CA, when he formed Pavement with childhood friend Scott Kannberg (guitar, vocals) in 1989. Pavement released their first 7" EP, Slay Tracks: (1933-1969), by the summer of 1989. Recorded for 800 dollars at the small local studio Louder Than You Think -- which was owned by Gary Young, a fortysomething drummer who appeared on the EP -- and released on the duo's own indie label, Treble Kicker, Slay Tracks demonstrated sonic debts to the Fall, R.E.M., the Pixies, and Sonic Youth. While there were only a couple hundred copies pressed of the EP, it managed to work its way to several influential people within the underground industry, including British DJ John Peel. Furthermore, the EP, which was credited only to "S.M." and "Spiral Stairs," became something of an enigma, since it was supported by no press releases or information about the band. By the 1990 release of Demolition Plot J-7, the band had begun to forge these influences into its own signature sound. Pavement moved to Drag City Records and added Young as a member during the recording of Demolition Plot J-7, but the band didn't perform any concerts until after the 1991 release of Perfect Sound Forever.

During preparation for their first concerts in 1991, Pavement added bassist Mark Ibold and, in order to bolster Young's shaky timekeeping, a second drummer named Bob Nastanovich, who had attended college with Malkmus. The new lineup appeared on the band's first full-length album, Slanted & Enchanted, although the group didn't record any of the album as a full band; instead, it was pieced together by Malkmus and Kannberg. Before it was released on Matador Records in the spring of 1992, Slanted & Enchanted created extremely good word-of-mouth praise; before the album was even available promotionally, critics were lavishly praising it in the press. Initially, the band's following was based upon critics and fellow musicians, but soon word began to spread on the street as well. Pavement supported the album with their first national tour, and while it didn't reach many cities, it became notorious for the band's sloppy sound and Young's grandstanding. He would greet the audience at the door, shaking their hands; he would perform handstands during the show; he would hand out salads at the door; he would occasionally collapse drunk. Young was asked to leave the band during 1993; his last release with the group was the EP Watery, Domestic, which was released in the fall of 1992. He was replaced by Steve West, a friend of Nastanovich. After West joined the band, the band's early EPs were compiled on Drag City's 1993 collection Westing (By Musket and Sextant).

Pavement's sound cleaned up somewhat after Young's departure; it was a combination of having a steady drummer and recording in real studios. Some pundits predicted that Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain, the 1994 follow-up to Slanted & Enchanted, would be Pavement's breakthrough into the mainstream. To a certain extent, it was. The album debuted on the U.S. charts at 121 and "Cut Your Hair" became a Top Ten modern rock hit and MTV hit. But despite the album's overwhelmingly positive reviews, Crooked Rain simply expanded Pavement's cult dramatically, confirming their status as underground, not mainstream, stars. Following the release of Crooked Rain, Pavement recorded sporadically during 1994; Malkmus and Nastanovich also contributed to Starlite Walker, the full-length debut by the Silver Jews, which was led by their college friend David Berman.

Pavement returned with their third album, Wowee Zowee, in the spring of 1995. More sprawling and eclectic than either of its predecessors, the album proved once again that Pavement were a leader of the underground instead of alternative rock's Next Big Thing. Despite the mixed response Wowee Zowee received from critics -- which sparked a Pavement backlash in the press that continued for the next two years -- most of the group's die-hard fans embraced the album. The band also landed a spot on the fifth Lollapalooza, which featured likeminded artists such as Beck and Sonic Youth. Though it may have been financially lucrative, the gig proved frustrating for the band; sandwiched in the middle of the main stage's bill, Pavement found themselves playing to fewer people than they might have, had they headlined the second stage.

The group began 1996 with the release of the Pacific Trim EP and spent the rest of the year recording their fourth album with producer Mitch Easter. Released in early 1997, Brighten the Corners was seen as a return to the group's more accessible, Crooked Rain-like sound; it was greeted with positive reviews and debuted at number 70 on the American charts. After extensive touring in the U.S. and worldwide, Pavement took a break for the first half of 1998. That summer, among the bandmembers' off-duty activities, both Malkmus and Kannberg performed solo gigs: Malkmus introduced new Silver Jews and Pavement songs at the two L.A. dates he played with Scarnella (Nels Cline and the Geraldine Fibbers' Carla Bozulich's side project), while Kannberg played drums with Half Five Quarter to Six (an impromptu '80s cover band featuring other San Francisco-based musicians) at a charity event called One Night Stand. Kannberg also started his own label, Pray for Mojo (later renamed Amazing Grease), which featured bands like the psych-pop combo Oranger.

That fall, Pavement regrouped and recorded Terror Twilight with producer Nigel Godrich, whose intricate, polished style graced albums by Natalie Imbruglia, Beck, and, most famously, Radiohead. That group's guitarist, Jonny Greenwood, played harmonica on the album's sessions. When Terror Twilight arrived in the summer of 1999, it won uniformly positive reviews, but its bigger, cleaner sound and lack of any Kannberg songs made it feel suspiciously like a disguised Stephen Malkmus solo album. The Major Leagues EP did feature songs from Kannberg -- which he recorded with Gary Young at Louder Than You Think -- but this did little to dispel the breakup rumors Pavement had been dodging since Malkmus' solo gigs, in which he admitted that the bandmembers' desires to live outside of Pavement could spell the group's end. He announced that the band was indeed finished at their November 20, 1999, date at the London Brixton Academy: with a set of handcuffs hanging from his mic stand -- which he said symbolized being a part of a band -- Malkmus thanked Pavement's fans "for coming all these years."

However, the official word from the band and Matador Records was that Pavement were merely on hiatus. But, in the spring of 2000, word got out that both Kannberg and Malkmus were readying solo projects: Kannberg's, named the Preston School of Industry, reunited him with Gary Young; Malkmus' was initially called the Jicks, then rechristened Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks, and included drummer John Moen, formerly of the Dharma Bums and the Fastbacks, and bassist Joanna Bolme, who had also worked with the Minders. An interview with Malkmus in the November 2000 issue of Spin confirmed Pavement's breakup for once and all. Ibold, West, and Nastanovich also stayed busy during the group's "hiatus": Ibold started his own label, West toured and recorded with his project Marble Valley, and Nastanovich maintained his horse-racing tip sheet Lucky Lavender. Late in 2000, it was announced that Malkmus' solo album -- which had the working title of Swedish Reggae -- would be known simply as Stephen Malkmus, and that he and the Jicks would tour in the spring of 2001 with Elastica's Justine Frischmann joining on as an additional guitarist and Nastanovich as their road manager. Kannberg and his group also began playing dates in early 2001.

Despite the band's somewhat confusing and frustrating end, Pavement helped steer the course of '90s indie rock in a consistently intelligent, unpredictable -- and even fun -- direction. In late October of 2002, Matador released a massively expanded version of the seminal Slanted & Enchanted. The version contained an astounding 36 bonus tracks ranging from an entire live performance to revealing B-sides. A retrospective double-DVD set entitled Slow Century was welcomed concurrently. Matador then released a similarly expanded edition of Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain in 2004 and Wowee Zowee in 2006, all the more confirming Pavement's legacy as indie rock trailblazers. In 2009 the band announced a series of 2010 benefit shows in New York City's Central Park and the U.K.. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine & Heather Phares

AOL Radio Stations Pavement is Featured on (19)

Pavement

Indie 500

After much debate and consideration, Your Slacker curators have come up with the top 500 indie songs of all time. Slacker’s Indie 500 is actually a showcase of the greatest songs from many different sub-genres, all unified by a common spirit and ethos. Call it College Rock, Post-Punk, Pre-Emo, Indie Rock, Twee Pop, Indietronica, Riot Grrl; call it whatever you like. Just know that all the songs on this station were created with the same independent spirit. Hear indie hits spanning from the late 70's up until now.

Pavement

Indie

Indie on Slacker Radio is actually a showcase of many different genres, all unified by a common spirit and ethos. Call it College Rock, Post-Punk, Pre-Emo, Indie Rock, Twee Pop, Riot Grrl; call it whatever you like. Just know that all the music on the Indie station is created with the same independent spirit. Hear indie music spanning from the late 70's up until now.

Pavement

Plain White T's Showcase

This is the Plain White T's Showcase station on Slacker Radio. Tune in to hear a station built entirely by the members of Plain White T's including music hand-picked by Tom, Dave, Mike, Tim, and De'Mar as well as commentary by each about the songs that influenced their music and their lives.

Pavement

Bob Dylan Tribute

Slacker curator and nationally recognized Oldies expert Ron Smith is your host on this station as we pay tribute to Bob Dylan. You'll hear Dylan classics, collaborations, and songs from artists that he was influenced by and artists that he directly inspired. You'll also hear covers of Bob Dylan's songs by artists from across the musical spectrum.

Pavement

Dive Bar Jukebox

You walk through the doors and you know. This is it. The perfect dive bar. A cool crowd, great beers on tap and, above all, the perfect jukebox for a true music geek. Classic Rock, Classic Country, a lil' bit of Soul and the most important Indie Rock of all-time make this jukebox your all-time favorite. Welcome to Dive Bar Jukebox on Slacker Radio.

Pavement

Indie Halloween

It’s often hard to tell the difference between costumed Halloween revelers and sullen hipsters. For this reason, Halloween is the most indie-rock holiday of the year. On this station, you’ll hear Indie artists singing about blood, death, bones, ghosts, pumpkins, and other loosely-related Halloween topics.

Pavement

Bombay Bicycle Club Showcase

This is The Bombay Bicycle Club Artist Showcase on Slacker Radio. Tune in to hear a station built entirely by Bombay Bicycle Club including music hand-picked by Ed, Jamie, Jack and Suren as well as commentary about the songs that influenced their music and their lives.

Pavement

The Cribs Showcase

This is The Cribs Artist Showcase on Slacker Radio. Tune in to hear a station built entirely by The Cribs including music hand-picked by Gary, Ryan and Ross as well as commentary about the songs that influenced their music and their lives.

Pavement

Silversun Pickups Showcase

Brian Aubert and Nikki Monninger of Silversun Pickups recently played a private showcase for Slacker Radio listeners. Afterwards, they sat down with us to create and host their own Slacker Radio station. Every song you hear on this station was picked by Silversun Pickups, collectively. Brian and Nikki are your hosts- join them as they give you a look at the musical DNA of the band.

Pavement

Jimmy Eat World Showcase

This is the Jimmy Eat World Artist Showcase station. Tune in to hear a station built entirely by the band members of Jimmy Eat World including music hand-picked by Jim, Zach, Rick and Tom as well as commentary by each about the songs that influenced their music and their lives. Jimmy Eat World’s sixth studio album "Invented" is available in stores and digitally now. The album marks the reunion of the band and producer Mark Trombino who served as producer on the band’s two biggest selling albums "Clarity" and "Bleed American."

Pavement

The White Buffalo Showcase

This is The White Buffalo Showcase station on Slacker Radio. Tune in to hear a station built entirely by The White Buffalo including music that he hand-picked as well as commentary about the songs that influenced his music and his life.

Pavement

Indie Sleepover

This station features love songs for hipsters. Awkward glances, relationships founded over a shared love of the same band, and nights spent making out to Neutral Milk Hotel. If you think Valentine’s Day’s earlier records are better- this is the station for you. Featuring tracks from The Magnetic Fields, The Postal Service, Little Dragon, The Smiths, and more.

Pavement

Sondre Lerche Showcase

This is the Sondre Lerche Artist Showcase station on Slacker Radio. Tune in to hear music hand-picked by Sondre as well as commentary about the songs that influenced his music and his life.

Pavement

The Current

The Current brings you the best authentic new music alongside the music that inspired it, from unique to universal, indie to influential, new to nostalgic. Broadcasting from the musical hotbed that is Minnesota, listen to The Current and you’ll see why we say, “Great Music Lives Here.” Find playlist, interviews and more at thecurrent.org.

Pavement

FILTER Magazine

Good music will prevail. These are the words that FILTER lives by. In an ever-evolving musical landscape, we're here to help. Through FILTER Magazine Radio, we want to help you discover your new favorite band.

Pavement

'90s Alternative

90's Alternative on Slacker Radio highlights one of the most profound decades of Alternative Music. You'll hear the powerhouse artists of the Seattle grunge movement including Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Alice In Chains, Soundgarden and the Screaming Trees. You'll also get a heaping helping of non-Northwest classics like Stone Temple Pilots, The Smashing Pumpkins and Sublime as well as recalling the Punk resurgence with classics like Green Day's "Dookie" or the Offspring's "Smash" and the offbeat sounds of The Flaming Lips, Beck and Cake.

Pavement

Classic Alternative

Call it "Alternative," "Modern Rock," "College Rock" - call it whatever you like. Classic Alternative on Slacker Radio is all of those things and more- from the golden age of Alternative. Spanning various decades, this is radio for people that were raised on 120 Minutes. David Bowie, The Clash, The Smiths, Erasure, Depeche Mode, New Order, INXS, Midnight Oil, R.E.M., 10,000 Maniacs, Nine Inch Nails, Nirvana, Weezer, and many more!

Pavement

Adult Alternative

Adult Alternative on Slacker has all the good stuff without the angst-ridden teens and their complicated haircuts. You’ll hear cutting-edge artists like Gotye, The Lumineers, and The Head & The Heart as well as established artists like Dave Matthews, Arcade Fire, U2, R.E.M., the Black Keys, and Talking Heads. If you’ve graduated from keg stands to craft beer, this is the soundtrack to your next party.

Pavement

This station plays the best music from and music from related artists like Built to Spill, Pixies, The Flaming Lips, Yo La Tengo, Neutral Milk Hotel, Modest Mouse, Spoon, Sonic Youth, Radiohead, Arcade Fire and more.

All Stations

Pavement's Selected Discography (15)

Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain Album Cover

Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain

1994 Matador Records199912 Songs

Terror Twilight Album Cover

Terror Twilight

1999 Matador RecordsECD199911 Songs

Brighten the Corners Album Cover

Brighten the Corners

1997 Matador Records199712 Songs

Wowee Zowee Album Cover

Wowee Zowee

1995 Matador Records199618 Songs

Slanted and Enchanted Album Cover

Slanted and Enchanted

1992 Matador Records199214 Songs

Brighten the Corners [Nicene Creedence Edition] Album Cover

Brighten the Corners [Nicene Creedence Edition]

2008 Matador Records200844 Songs

Wowee Zowee Album Cover

Wowee Zowee

2006 Matador Records200650 Songs

Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain [L.A.'s Desert Origins] Album Cover

Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain [L.A.'s Desert Origins]

2004 Matador Records200449 Songs

Slanted and Enchanted [Luxe & Reduxe] Album Cover

Slanted and Enchanted [Luxe & Reduxe]

2002 Matador Records Ltd.200248 Songs

Quarantine the Past: The Best of Pavement Album Cover

Quarantine the Past: The Best of Pavement

2010 Matador Records LimitedCOMPILATION201024 Songs

Major Leagues [EP] Album Cover

Major Leagues [EP]

EP19997 Songs

Spit on a Stranger Album Cover

Spit on a Stranger

EP19995 Songs

Shady Lane [EP] Album Cover

Shady Lane [EP]

EP19975 Songs

Pacific Trim [EP] Album Cover

Pacific Trim [EP]

EP19963 Songs

Watery, Domestic Album Cover

Watery, Domestic

EP19924 Songs

All Albums

Artists Related to Pavement (50)

	Built to Spill	Built to Spill were one of the most popular indie rock acts of the '90s, finding the middle ground between postmodern, Pavement-style pop and the loose, spacious jamming of Neil Young.
	Pixies	Combining jagged, roaring guitars and stop-start dynamics with melodic pop hooks, intertwining male-female harmonies and evocative, cryptic lyrics, the Pixies were one of the most influential American alternative rock bands of the late '80s.
	The Flaming Lips	Even within the eclectic world of alternative rock, few bands were so brave, so frequently brilliant, and so deliciously weird as the Flaming Lips.
	Yo La Tengo	Yo La Tengo are in many respects the quintessential critics' band: in addition to their adventurous eclecticism, defiant independence, and restless creative ambition -- three qualities that virtually guarantee music press acclaim -- the group's frontman, Ira Kaplan, even tenured as a rock scribe prior to finding success as a performer.
	Neutral Milk Hotel	The self-described "fuzz-folk" project Neutral Milk Hotel was one of the primary outgrowths of the Elephant 6 Recording Company collective, a coterie of like-minded lo-fi indie groups -- including the Apples in Stereo, the Olivia Tremor Control, and Secret Square -- who shared musicians, ideas, and sensibilities.
	Modest Mouse	Modest Mouse were one of the most surprising commercial success stories of the new millennium -- while their music was by turns taut and elliptical, and the lyrics sometimes cryptic and introspective, the band broke through to the mainstream audience with the platinum-selling Good News for People Who Love Bad News, and they became genuine rock stars at a time when their musical peers remained cult figures.
	Spoon	With their heady blend of precision punk and serpentine classic rock (the band has drawn comparisons to everyone from the Pixies and Sonic Youth to Elvis Costello and Tom Petty), enigmatic, Texas-based indie pop outfit Spoon went from underground press darlings to one of the genre’s premier commercially and critically acclaimed alternative rock acts.
	Sonic Youth	Sonic Youth were one of the most unlikely success stories of underground American rock in the '80s. Where contemporaries R.
	Radiohead	Radiohead were one of the few alternative bands of the early '90s to draw heavily from the grandiose arena rock that characterized U2's early albums.
	Arcade Fire	A combination of indie rock muscle and theatrical, unapologetic bombast turned Arcade Fire into indie royalty in the early 2000s.
	Beck	Initially pegged as something as a voice of a generation when “Loser” turned into a smash crossover success, Beck did wind up crystallizing much of the post-modern ruckus of the ‘90s alternative explosion, but in unexpected ways.
	Elliott Smith	The celebrated folk-punk singer/songwriter Elliott Smith rose from indie obscurity to mainstream success in 1997 on the strength of "Miss Misery," his Academy Award-nominated song from the film Good Will Hunting.
	Wilco	Wilco rose from the ashes of the seminal roots rock band Uncle Tupelo, which disbanded in 1994. While Jay Farrar, one of the group's two singer/songwriters, went on to form Son Volt, his ex-partner Jeff Tweedy established Wilco along with the remaining members of Tupelo's final incarnation, which included drummer Ken Coomer as well as part-time bandmates John Stirratt (bass) and Max Johnston (mandolin, banjo, fiddle, and lap steel).
	Dinosaur Jr.	Dinosaur Jr. were largely responsible for returning lead guitar to indie rock and, along with their peers the Pixies, they injected late-'80s alternative rock with monumental levels of pure guitar noise.
	The Shins	A classic guitar pop group almost nine years in the making, Albuquerque, New Mexico's the Shins began in 1997 as the side project of singer/songwriter and guitarist James Mercer's primary band, Flake.
	Interpol	Although formed during the late '90s, Interpol rose to international attention in 2002 as part of New York City's post-punk revival.
	Belle & Sebastian	A band that takes its name from a French children's television series about a boy and his dog would almost have to be precious, and to be certain, Belle & Sebastian are precious.
	TV On The Radio	The Brooklyn-based group TV on the Radio mix post-punk, electronic, and other atmospheric elements in such a creative way that it only makes sense that their core duo, vocalist Tunde Adebimpe and multi-instrumentalist/producer David Andrew Sitek, are both visual artists as well as musicians.
	Broken Social Scene	Broken Social Scene materialized in 1999 when K.C. Accidental's Kevin Drew and Brendan Canning, formerly of By Divine Right, bonded their friendship into a band.
	Band of Horses	Emerging in 2004 with a blend of woodsy midtempo rock and reverb-laden vocals, Band of Horses gained an audience in their native Northwest before Everything All the Time made them indie rock darlings.
	The Decemberists	Led by Montana native Colin Meloy, the Decemberists craft theatrical, hyper-literate pop songs that draw heavily from late-'60s British folk acts like Fairport Convention and Pentangle and the early-'80s college rock grandeur of the Waterboys and R.
	Guided by Voices	Inspired equally by jangle pop and arty post-punk, Guided by Voices created a series of trebly, hissy indie rock records filled with infectiously brief pop songs that fell somewhere between the British Invasion and prog rock.
	The Strokes	Equally inspired by classic tunesmiths like Buddy Holly and John Lennon and the street-smart attitude and angular riffs of fellow New Yorkers Television and the Velvet Underground, the Strokes were also equally blessed and cursed with an enormous amount of hype -- particularly from the U.
	Blur	Initially, Blur were one of the multitude of British bands that appeared in the wake of the Stone Roses, mining the same swirling, pseudo-psychedelic guitar pop, only with louder guitars.
	The White Stripes	The White Stripes formed on Bastille Day in 1997, aiming to create simple, vigorous rock & roll with little more than Meg White's percussion and Jack White's guitar-and-vocal attack.
	The New Pornographers	The Vancouver indie rock supergroup the New Pornographers features the talents of Zumpano's Carl Newman, the Evaporators' John Collins, Destroyer's Dan Bejar, cartoonist/filmmaker Blaine Thurier, drummer Fisher Rose, and guest vocalist Neko Case.
	Of Montreal	The brainchild of singer/guitarist Kevin Barnes, Of Montreal was among the second wave of bands to emerge from the sprawling Elephant 6 collective.
	Sufjan Stevens	A singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, Detroit-born Sufjan Stevens started venturing into the music world while attending Hope College as a member of Marzuki, a folk-rock band based in Holland, Michigan.
	Yeah Yeah Yeahs	Discovered in the wake of the Strokes' popularity and the subsequent garage rock revival, New York's art punk trio the Yeah Yeah Yeahs are comprised of singer Karen O, guitarist Nicolas Zinner, and drummer Brian Chase.
	Cat Power	Penning songs that are offbeat in narrative, but literate and emotionally revealing, and performing them in a soulful, idiosyncratic style that reveals both strength and fragility, Cat Power was one of the most acclaimed singer/songwriters to emerge from the 1990s indie rock scene, a one of a kind artist unafraid to reveal her inner self in her music and follow her muse in a variety of different directions.
	My Morning Jacket	Starting in the late ‘90s and throughout the 2000s and 2010s, My Morning Jacket expanded on their rock and country roots, embracing everything from neo-psychedelia to funk, prog, and reggae in their sonic experimentation.
	The Walkmen	The Walkmen feature three members from Jonathan FireEater and two from the Recoys. When Jonathan FireEater disbanded in 1998, the group took the remainder of their Dreamworks funding and established an uptown rehearsal space in New York City that doubled as a 24-track recording studio where they use a wide variety of vintage equipment.
	Iron & Wine	Singer/songwriter Samuel Beam, who rose to prominence with a blend of whispered vocals and softly homespun indie folk, chose the moniker Iron & Wine after coming across a dietary supplement named "Beef Iron & Wine" while working on a film.
	Grizzly Bear	Grizzly Bear began as a home recording project for Boston-bred experimentalist Edward Droste, the son of an elementary school teacher, who laid the groundwork for the band's otherworldly debut album on a small hand-held tape recorder while holed up for 15 months in his Greenpoint, Brooklyn, apartment.
	The National	Although formed during the post-punk revival of the late '90s, the National took inspiration from a wider set of influences, including country-rock, Americana, indie rock, and Brit-pop.
	Wolf Parade	The indie rock combo Wolf Parade formed in 2003 in Montreal, where the band's first show saw them opening for Arcade Fire.
	Stephen Malkmus	After Pavement announced they were going on hiatus at the end of 1999, the status of one of America's finest indie rock bands was a mystery for the first half of 2000.
	Bright Eyes	Although many musicians joined the band's rotating lineup, Bright Eyes was primarily the songwriting vehicle of Conor Oberst, a quivery-voiced Nebraska native who first attracted attention in 1994 -- when he was only 14 years old -- as the singer and guitarist for Commander Venus.
	Sebadoh	As much a collective of musicians as a band, Sebadoh was the quintessential lo-fi band of the '90s. Formed by singer/songwriter Lou Barlow while he was the bassist for Dinosaur Jr.
	Clap Your Hands Say Yeah	In the middle of 2005, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah were being touted as the hottest unsigned act in America.
	Animal Collective	Animal Collective were formed in Baltimore County, Maryland, by longtime friends and musical collaborators Avey Tare (David Portner), Panda Bear (Noah Lennox), Deakin (Josh Dibb), and Geologist (Brian Weitz).
	Death Cab For Cutie	Death Cab for Cutie's rise from small-time solo project to Grammy-nominated rock band is one of indie rock's greatest success stories.
	LCD Soundsystem	LCD Soundsystem debuted with "Losing My Edge," a single that became one of the most talked-about indie releases of 2002.
	The Breeders	One of alternative rock's most promising -- and frustrating -- bands, the Breeders were conceived initially as a way for Pixies bassist Kim Deal and Throwing Muses guitarist Tanya Donelly to let out some suppressed creative energy and to take a break from being the second bananas in each of their main bands.
	Rogue Wave	Rogue Wave formed in 2002 when a newly unemployed Zach Rogue left his San Francisco home, visited friends in New York City, and returned to California with nearly a full album's worth of textured, cerebral indie pop.
	Pinback	While a rotating cast of instrumentalists find loose assembly under the Pinback name, the partnership of Armistead Burwell Smith IV and Rob Crow is at the heart of the some of the most complex, postmodern indie pop happening on the West Coast.
	Fleet Foxes	Seattle's Fleet Foxes are led by vocalist/guitarist Robin Pecknold, who fashioned his band's earthy, harmony-rich sound in honor of such perennial '60s artists as Bob Dylan, Neil Young, the Zombies, and the Beach Boys.
	The Black Keys	It’s too facile to call the Black Keys counterparts of the White Stripes: they share several surface similarities -- their names are color-coded, they hail from the Midwest, they’re guitar-and-drum blues-rock duos -- but the Black Keys are their own distinct thing, a tougher, rougher rock band with a purist streak that never surfaces in the Stripes.
	Rilo Kiley	Like their West Coast contemporaries in Death Cab for Cutie, Rilo Kiley steadily gained traction in indie pop circles throughout the late '90s and early 2000s before the record industry (and public at large) officially took note.
	The Postal Service	Named for the courier service that allowed them to trade song ideas while living in different locales, the Postal Service were a short-lived supergroup featuring Jimmy Tamborello (leader of the electronica bands Dntel and Figurine) and Death Cab for Cutie's Ben Gibbard.

All Related Artists

Top Songs by Pavement (50)

Cut Your Hair

3:06

from: Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain

1994 Matador Records

Gold Soundz

2:38

from: Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain

1994 Matador Records

Shady Lane

3:49

from: Brighten the Corners

1997 Matador Records

Spit on a Stranger

3:00

from: Terror Twilight

1999 Matador Records

Range Life

4:54

from: Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain

1994 Matador Records

Rattled by the Rush

4:15

from: Wowee Zowee

1995 Matador Records

Summer Baby

3:12

from: Slanted and Enchanted

1992 Matador Records

Father to a Sister of Thought

3:29

from: Wowee Zowee

1995 Matador Records

AT & T

3:30

from: Wowee Zowee

1995 Matador Records

Stereo

3:07

from: Quarantine the Past: The Best of Pavement

2010 Matador Records Limited

Summer Babe

3:14

from: Slanted and Enchanted

1992 Matador Records

Elevate Me Later

2:49

from: Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain

1994 Matador Records

Zurich Is Stained

1:39

from: Slanted and Enchanted

1992 Matador Records

Texas Never Whispers

3:06

from: Slanted and Enchanted

1992 Matador Records

Carrot Rope

3:50

from: Terror Twilight

1999 Matador Records

Major Leagues

3:24

from: Terror Twilight

1999 Matador Records

Here

3:53

from: Slanted and Enchanted

1992 Matador Records

Harness Your Hopes

3:27

from: Brighten the Corners

1997 Matador Records

Trigger Cut/Wounded-Kite at :17

3:15

from: Slanted and Enchanted

1992 Matador Records

In the Mouth a Desert

3:46

from: Slanted and Enchanted

1992 Matador Records

Fight This Generation

4:21

from: Wowee Zowee

1995 Matador Records

Cream of Gold

3:46

from: Terror Twilight

1999 Matador Records

Grounded

4:13

from: Wowee Zowee

1995 Matador Records

Nothing Ever Happens

2:25

from: Slanted and Enchanted

1992 Matador Records

Passat Dream

3:49

from: Brighten the Corners

1997 Matador Records

I Love Perth

1:03

from: Wowee Zowee

1995 Matador Records

No Tan Lines

3:08

from: Brighten the Corners

1997 Matador Records

Shady Lane/J vs. S

3:50

from: Quarantine the Past: The Best of Pavement

2010 Matador Records Limited

Loretta's Scars

2:55

from: Slanted and Enchanted

1992 Matador Records

Silence Kit

2:59

from: Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain

1994 Matador Records

Roll with the Wind

3:18

from: Brighten the Corners

1997 Matador Records

You Are a Light

3:55

from: Terror Twilight

1999 Matador Records

Folk Jam

3:34

from: Terror Twilight

1999 Matador Records

Two States

1:47

from: Slanted and Enchanted

1992 Matador Records

The Hexx

5:33

from: Terror Twilight

1999 Matador Records

Frontwards

3:15

from: Slanted and Enchanted

1992 Matador Records

Unseen Power of the Picket Fence

3:51

from: Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain

1994 Matador Records

The Classical

3:27

from: Brighten the Corners

1997 Matador Records

The Sutcliffe Catering Song

3:22

from: Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain

1994 Matador Records

Box Elder

5:16

from: Wowee Zowee

1995 Matador Records

Rug Rat

3:05

from: Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain

1994 Matador Records

Tartar Martyr

3:13

from: Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain

1994 Matador Records

Drunks With Guns

1:42

from: Slanted and Enchanted

1992 Matador Records

Instrumental

3:40

from: Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain

1994 Matador Records

Flux = Rad

2:11

from: Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain

1994 Matador Records

Date w/Ikea

2:38

from: Brighten the Corners

1997 Matador Records

Rooftop Gambler

from: Spit on a Stranger

Bad Version of War

3:27

from: Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain

1994 Matador Records

Greenlander

3:11

from: Slanted and Enchanted

1992 Matador Records

Mellow Jazz Docent

1:53

from: Quarantine the Past: The Best of Pavement

2010 Matador Records Limited

All Songs