Pavement

Today I received my ticket to see Pavement in Toronto on June 19 at Toronto Island. Thus far, it’s the only Canadian date on the band’s current reunion tour.

This reminded me of one of my recent favourite record purchases: the Brighten the Corners Nicene Credence Edition deluxe four LP set.

Although BTC is not my favourite Pavement album (Slanted and Enchanted is) and would actually rank at the bottom of Pavement’s four classic records for me, this set is a still a gem, particularly if you love Pavement.

Once again, Matador has done a terrific job in putting together a Pavement re-issue. The BTC-NCE is pressed on RTI HQ-120 gram vinyl. It contains four LPs chock full of B-sides, remixes, live tracks and unreleased tracks (eight of which did not appear on the CD version of the deluxe re-issue); and a code for a free mp3 download of the entire catalogue of songs.

The set also includes a 16 page booklet featuring Alex Ross’s essay, “The Pavement Tapes,” originally published on May 26, 1997 in The New Yorker. Ross’s essay eloquently distills the essence of Pavement, in my view:

A Pavement album is a series of small labyrinths. The pleasure of the maze matters more than finding a way out. After many repetitions, the strangeness of the language remains; at the same time, the lyrics mesh with the music in ways that make nearly every word sound natural and exact.

Be forewarned, the BTC-NCE deluxe set does not come cheap. I paid C$75 for mine. But, if you’re a Pavement fan and a vinyl enthusiast, you will appreciate the effort and quality provided by Matador. The vinyl is exquisite (all four of my LPs are dead quiet), the artwork is fantastic and the packaging is very durable (the set is heavy enough to put a dent in the wall!). Such quality is increasingly scarce these days, unfortunately, and for that alone I think the set is worth every penny.