Pavement

Pavement is the quintessential "indie" band of the 1990s.  They were lo-fi, cryptic and witty, remarkably normal-looking, and of course, on the independent label Matador.  In my honest opinion, Pavement is important today not because of what their music was, but of what they enabled future music to be.  During a time when almost every band had completed the transition to grunge, these college guys remained defiant and embraced a lighthearted, yet insightful approach to rock.  This is when underground music became known for its subtle wordplay and melodic simplicity, unlike former bands who relied on pushing the boundaries of one's visual and aural sensibilities to become noticed.  Pavement paved the way for modern indie as we now know it.  Recs are below:


Albums:  Terror Twilight (1999), Brighten the Corners (1997), Wowee Zowee (1995), Crooked Rain Crooked Rain (1994), Slanted and Enchanted (1992)

Tracks:  Cut Your Hair, Gold Soundz, Range Life, Summer Babe, In the Mouth a Desert, Here, We Dance, Grounded, Stereo