Terror Twilight
Terror Twilightis Pavement's fifth proper studio album and perhaps their most confident effort to date. Opening with the surprisingly subdued leadoff single, the sinewy-sweet "Spit on a Stranger" (which sounds like theVelvet Undergroundafter a couple of cartwheels), it's clear that Pavement is in no hurry to re-createSlanted and Enchanted's fractured and raw indie-pop. Instead of short bursts of jive poetry and razor guitars, the band opts for slightly longer songs with more subdued sonic explorations. Still,Terror Twilightnever quite veers off into predictable directions; the boys' talent continues to confound expectations. Unforeseenly unironic heartstrings seem to be the thing these days for Pavement. This album boasts their finest ballads to date--"Major Leagues" and "Stranger"--but the days of fiery songs like "No Life for Ginger" may be over. Malkmus and crew seem to be heading in the same avant-pop direction asBuilt to Spill. But while Pavement may be more laid-back, they're still standing firm.Terror Twilightcould be the bedrock upon which they build the rest of their career.--Jason Josephes