Album of the Week: Wowee Zowee by Pavement

So, in a new feature that I’ve decided to put on here, I’m going to write a review of an album I’m listening to. It need not be current, just that I’ve listened to the whole thing at least once. Please note that I am reviewing ALBUMS, not singles collections that most mainstream artists make (Kanye, you get a pass).

So, Pavement. There’s a very good chance you’ve never heard of them. They were active in the 90’s, and they were the equivalent of The Velvet Underground: Not a lot of people bought their records, but anyone who did was inspired to make their own music. Bands like Blur (whose frontman, Damon Albarn, created Gorillaz), Interpol, and pretty much any good band today exists because of Pavement.

Wowee Zowee is the third album from Pavement, and without question the weirdest. Here, Pavement’s singer, second lead guitarist, and songwriter Stephen Malkmus experiments with a number of styles Pavement hadn’t done on the previous two albums, from Kinks-esque dreamy ballads:

 

To Nirvana-styled light grunge:

 

Still , it’s a testament to the band’s genius just to see how well they’ve pulled this off. In other hands, such odd music would come off as gimmicky, even embarrassing. Malkmus, however, makes it work through clever lyrics and sheer force of personality. His voice, breathy and shuffling, sounds as if he could fall to the ground and die at any moment.  His bandmates don’t slack either. Bassist Mark Ibold creates jazzy rhythms, while drummer Steve West pushes his fantastic drumming to the forefront, occasionally eclipsing Malkmus and Scott Kanberg’s guitar in sheer innovation.

Wowee Zowee is not a record you will instantly understand. It’s a deep piece of work, worthy of countless analyzations and breathless admiration. It’s the kind of album you can play in one go and get more out of than the greatest mix CD.

Rating: 9.2 out of 10.

PROS: Fantastic songwriting, great lyrics, intensely creative.

CONS: May be a little “Out There” for some people. The harder rocking numbers are a little underwhelming.