Westing
Warning: This collection is not for fans of high-fidelity music. Pavement's early days were marred by murk; call it the limitation of the early days of any band, but nobody in the early '90s wanted this sound. Pavement seized it, wrapped it up in enigmatic packages, and soon a cult following was born.Westing (by Musket and Sextant)captures several early 7-inches and EPs for a look back at Pavement's gestation. All the essential elements are here, from Stephen Malkmus's beyond-bebop lyricism to white-heat guitars that sound like they're coming from the dark side of an Edison cylinder. Anyone swayed by the last couple of Pavement albums may not enjoy this collection unless they also appreciate edgy acts like theFallandSwell Maps.  It sounds quite tinny and one may wonder if there's anything onWestingthat resembles a radio-ready hit. Sounds pretty good, doesn't it?--Jason Josephes