Pavement for Dummies

Unless you've been in a cave somewhere recording video messages to the great Satan on your webcam, trapped inside a large bear outfit, abusing Kurt's avatar (now those are three words I never thought I'd write), under a table somewhere hiding from swine flu, too busy following Terminal Man, worrying about your missile shield, or watching Dirty Dancing on repeat this week, it probably won't have escaped you that Kanye We... no, not that news... I am of course talking about: Pavement getting back together for a reunion next year!!!

  

 

 Statement on Matador's blog:

  

[After years of speculation, the most important American band of the 1990’s is returning to the stage, with the lineup of Mark Ibold, Scott “Spiral Stairs” Kannberg, Stephen Malkmus, Bob Nastanovich and Steve West reuniting for dates around the world in 2010.  Please be advised this tour is not a prelude to additional jaunts and/or a permanent reunion.]

 

Over the past 48 hours the news has gone from '"a reliable source tells us"...', to them doing 'a show', to a full tour, though, as you can read on the statement above, they've also made it clear that this is a one-time thing, so don't expect any legacy-torpedoing new albums, or indefinite big money tours (nope, it'll just be the one).
 
Pavement, let it be clear, do not intend to piss all over their legacy.

So, having heard the news, what's an 18 year old indie kid, who had to Google 'pavement' when reading the news, and gets his/her music from the Gossip Girl soundtrack, to do??!! Pavement? Right, isn't that the band who has supposedly influenced EVERYONE? The band that got those 10 out of 10 album reviews on Pitchfork?

Yep, that's the one.
 
Letters have no Arms hereby proudly presents Pavement for Dummies. A brief introduction, a beginner's kit if you will. Start off with these ten songs (and perhaps the Pavement article on allmusic), then work your way through their rather majestic back-catalogue. You've got till next year to memorise all the lyrics and start getting VERY F**KING EXCITED ABOUT NEXT YEAR!!!

The early lo-fi one: Box Elder
The 'hit': Stereo
The quiet one: Strings of Nashville
The bouncy one: Cut your Hair
The wistful one: Here

The quirky one: Carrot Rope
The old favourite: Range Life

The it-doesn't-get-much-better-than-this one: Gold Soundz
The epic one: Fight this Generation

The amazing B-side: Secret Knowledge Of Backroads

 

the band

 

haha pavement, get it?

The news does of course leave us with a number of questions:

- At what point during their upcoming shows will it be polite for the band to exclaim/tell Stephen to (just) stop jamming!!! ?

- Stephen Malkmus famously chained handcuffs to his mic stand during their last ever gig at the Brixton Academy in London, stating 'this is what it's like being in a band'. What will he chain to it at their first gig back? Keys? A cheque?

- And finally, will Stephen be sporting a moustache?

 

 magazine bearing their name 
   
You've been humming and I think it's forever
Praying for pavement to get back together
Nobody knows where you are living
Nobody knows where you are

You're so far around the bend
 

The National - So far around the bend