Greetings from Spain.
― Krishra Shankur, Wednesday, 19 February 2003 19:30 (twenty-one years ago) link
b-b-b-but Malkmus is such a better singer and songwriter than Berman! Berman has no charisma and has no ability to write a decent melody! Eeee!
― Matthew Perpetua (Matthew Perpetua), Thursday, 20 February 2003 00:44 (twenty-one years ago) link
Maybe this way?
(pulls out hair, freaking out)b-b-b-but Malkmus is such a better singer and songwriter than Berman! Berman has no charisma and has no ability to write a decent melody! Eeee!(/pulls out hair, freaking out)
It's all in good fun.
― Matthew Perpetua (Matthew Perpetua), Thursday, 20 February 2003 00:47 (twenty-one years ago) link
I'll grant that Malk is a more natural and interesting vocalist. But his voice carries little real emotional weight for me, whereas Berman's deadpan vulnerable drawl and clear diction are heavy with experience. Malkmus's voice is a glorious instrument: he whelps and yelps and does that falsetto and changes register like a vocal trapeze artist turning oval hoops. His 'melodies' are beautifully dissonant and delivered uniquely, like his guitar playing. But so far as emotional gravity is concerned, what does Malk's voice carry to you? I'll tell you what it carries to me: arrogant little slacker kid with his head in the clouds of his own cool. I'm talking about his tone and his posturing and everything that makes his voice so distinctive. And that's appealing on one level, I grant you. He spits on you from a great height, and you are bathed (and grateful). And as far as I can tell, his lyrics are are just slick rollers for his vox sound. He makes lots of incongruous formulations that jar or sweeten as the need arises. But there are no statements, and no simplicity. It's all show. Berman on the other hand has a load of unexpected incongruities (eg 'my horses legs look like four brown shotguns'), but he also hits deep with the kind of simple and direct statement that Malkmus would never write. His croaky brogue is just the ticket for conveying his own America. As is Malkmus's, i spose. I just find Berman's vision more engrossing and feel stronger empathy for what seems his inordinately more compassionate temperament. Malkmus's ego is cool for the kids, and I'm a kid and think wow cool. But for a more elevated justification of being, I turn to DCB. I hope he writes another like Bright Flight and I'd welcome a line to compare with 'My ski vest has buttons like convenience store mirrors and they help me see/ That everything in the room right now/ Is a part of me, oh yeah/ Is a part of me.' (from AW) Malkmus can't write like that. And the argument that Berman doesn't know melody is a nonsense in my view. That line is made by its melody, Berman's effortless execution of it and (yes) the companionship of Malkmus's whining seizure guitar.
― jizzmeister, Thursday, 20 February 2003 15:22 (twenty-one years ago) link
― M Matos (M Matos), Thursday, 20 February 2003 16:00 (twenty-one years ago) link
I think Berman and Malkmus are like apples and oranges - just because they were/are friends, and Malkmus did the guy a favor by being his guitarist for a while, it doesn't mean they are meant to be compared. I don't really begrudge you for having some unfair feelings about Malkmus, because I'm not very fair about Berman - I just hate that guy's singing so much, and his music just seems like bland faux-Dylan to me. And I don't have much love for Dylan.
― Matthew Perpetua (Matthew Perpetua), Thursday, 20 February 2003 16:22 (twenty-one years ago) link
― o. nate (onate), Thursday, 20 February 2003 16:59 (twenty-one years ago) link
― Spy, Thursday, 20 February 2003 22:54 (twenty-one years ago) link
― Matthew Perpetua (Matthew Perpetua), Friday, 21 February 2003 05:41 (twenty-one years ago) link
or am I wrong? except for a couple of interweb mentalists on this here board (indeed this here thread) I don't know anyone familiar w/this album who doesn't l-l-l-love it, and I'm starting to wonder. (I got rid of my promo copy and no I will not be purchasing it again.) what am I missing here?
― M Matos (M Matos), Monday, 24 March 2003 11:27 (twenty-one years ago) link
― J0hn Darn1elle (J0hn Darn1elle), Monday, 24 March 2003 12:01 (twenty-one years ago) link
Were you one of those people whose interest in Pavement was swayed by that New Yorker article? I was.
― Jody Beth Rosen (Jody Beth Rosen), Monday, 24 March 2003 12:03 (twenty-one years ago) link
― J0hn Darn1elle (J0hn Darn1elle), Monday, 24 March 2003 12:24 (twenty-one years ago) link
― David Allen, Monday, 24 March 2003 12:51 (twenty-one years ago) link
― dog latin (dog latin), Monday, 24 March 2003 12:53 (twenty-one years ago) link
Unfortunately, I bought it before I realized that there was a limited edition with a free bonus EP available. How much am I missing?
― o. nate (onate), Monday, 24 March 2003 15:30 (twenty-one years ago) link
― weasel diesel (K1l14n), Monday, 24 March 2003 15:31 (twenty-one years ago) link
― o. nate (onate), Monday, 24 March 2003 15:35 (twenty-one years ago) link
i saw him live, and the band had want to be better rehearsed than they were that night, let me tell you.
― weasel diesel (K1l14n), Monday, 24 March 2003 15:40 (twenty-one years ago) link
― o. nate (onate), Monday, 24 March 2003 15:45 (twenty-one years ago) link
― o. nate (onate), Monday, 24 March 2003 15:48 (twenty-one years ago) link
― roger adultery (roger adultery), Monday, 24 March 2003 16:52 (twenty-one years ago) link
poo! that was what I liked about it. Tracks like The Hexx would've been crap without it and I loved the way the tracks changed style and tempo without warning allt he way through. Not exactly Westing by Musket and Sextant, sure, but something completely different (and imho better).
― dog latin (dog latin), Monday, 24 March 2003 16:53 (twenty-one years ago) link
― o. nate (onate), Monday, 24 March 2003 17:01 (twenty-one years ago) link
It's 18 minutes worthy of the album itself.
― christoff (christoff), Monday, 24 March 2003 18:22 (twenty-one years ago) link
don't worry about it, people are wrong all the time... it's part of being human.
― gygax! (gygax!), Monday, 24 March 2003 18:30 (twenty-one years ago) link
― bucky wunderlick (bucky), Monday, 24 March 2003 19:32 (twenty-one years ago) link
― M Matos (M Matos), Monday, 24 March 2003 19:51 (twenty-one years ago) link
honestly, i gave up on not "getting" anything long ago (only exception: indie guilt, but only for socialogical research). i can't read record reviews/music writing any more for various reasons.
but if i panned a record, i'd take a stand. this may surprise you but some artists actually read their reviews... continue panning it. ride that fukkerz into the ground. did you listen to it once or twice? maybe that 3rd time will give you the fodder to absolutely kill malkmus dead with the might of your pen.
― gygax! (gygax!), Monday, 24 March 2003 20:33 (twenty-one years ago) link
or blog, whatever.
― gygax! (gygax!), Monday, 24 March 2003 20:34 (twenty-one years ago) link
the reason I bring this up at all is that, like anyone, I've misheard records in the past and wound up changing my mind over time. maybe that will happen here, but I still don't like Terror Twilight apart from three good songs, and the six or seven times I played Pig Lib I didn't hear three good songs. maybe in five years I will hear the error of my ways, but I just wondered if anyone else agreed w/me.
― M Matos (M Matos), Monday, 24 March 2003 20:39 (twenty-one years ago) link
― gygax! (gygax!), Monday, 24 March 2003 20:42 (twenty-one years ago) link
― o. nate (onate), Tuesday, 25 March 2003 21:20 (twenty-one years ago) link
― Carey (Carey), Tuesday, 25 March 2003 21:22 (twenty-one years ago) link
― M Matos (M Matos), Tuesday, 25 March 2003 22:08 (twenty-one years ago) link
― Carey (Carey), Tuesday, 25 March 2003 22:09 (twenty-one years ago) link
You missed your big chance to tell malkmus that you trashed his new record!!!
― gygax! (gygax!), Thursday, 27 March 2003 05:03 (twenty-one years ago) link
― M Matos (M Matos), Thursday, 27 March 2003 10:27 (twenty-one years ago) link
― dog latin (dog latin), Thursday, 8 January 2004 13:25 (twenty years ago) link
― Michael B, Thursday, 8 January 2004 13:35 (twenty years ago) link
― dog latin (dog latin), Thursday, 8 January 2004 13:41 (twenty years ago) link
― Matthew Perpetua (Matthew Perpetua), Thursday, 8 January 2004 15:05 (twenty years ago) link
― dlp9001, Thursday, 8 January 2004 17:25 (twenty years ago) link
― M Matos (M Matos), Thursday, 8 January 2004 17:41 (twenty years ago) link
― dlp9001, Thursday, 8 January 2004 19:38 (twenty years ago) link
― gygax! (gygax!), Thursday, 8 January 2004 19:48 (twenty years ago) link
― Sam J. (samjeff), Thursday, 8 January 2004 19:52 (twenty years ago) link
― dog latin (dog latin), Thursday, 8 January 2004 20:10 (twenty years ago) link
"Slanted" just happens to be a terrific fucking album. EVEN IF lots of other people think so!
― Sam J. (samjeff), Thursday, 8 January 2004 20:27 (twenty years ago) link
― otto, Thursday, 8 January 2004 22:13 (twenty years ago) link