Terror Twilight by Pavement

Pavement's fifth and final studio album is one of my favorite and least favorite Pavement albums because its' strengths and weaknesses are rooted in the same place. The downside is their tendency to skew more towards Malkmus' improved technical ability on the guitar. It's only heightened by the fact that it was the first time they had ever recorded on 24 tracks, and utilized OK Computer's producer Nigel Goodrich. So we end up with longer jams, better vocals, and more musical clarity across the board. It's far from the fuzz and distortion of Slanted and Enchanted, but at the same time it's the strength of the album because it, as Pitchfork (I know, I know, but they aren't always off base) said, "allows for the full fruition of some of the band's more adventuresome tendencies". I've got to agree with that statement, and so while there's certainly no comparison in terms of their sonic shift from Slanted and Enchanted to Terror Twilight, their signature slacker ethos is still evident. In the end, it's a band that hasn't swayed from the indie rock roots they started, but the sign of a band that's grown up. Grown so much it was inevitable they'd have to break up. And they did. Man was I right about that one.

RATING: 90%