Wowee Zowee by Pavement

Released in 1995 on Matador.

Pavement is an indie rock / alt rock band that formed in 1989 and broke up in 1999. Highly influential, yet oddly over looked. Wowee Zowee is the bands 3rd studio album. There is a reunion planned for 2010.

People say Wowee Zowee is Pavements most experimental album, but the band says it comes off that way because it was so rushed. The record company was pressuring them to release something new, so they unleashed Wowee Zowee to mixed reviews. Some people thought it was a step backwards for them, others thought thought it was brilliant. The album is a mixed bag of songs, ranging from country, to punk, to ballads, to Pavements more slack rocker style.

There are plenty of throw away songs on here, but also plenty of gems. The song structures on here are pretty unusual and unpredictable. Lots of warbley guitar, feedback, distortion, spontaneous outbursts of noise. Pavement songs always have a little bit of an oddball charm to them. Nothing on this album is very conventional.

It's difficult to decipher what any of the song meaning, if any, on here are. All the lyrics just seems like quirky, off the cuff, play on words. They sound like stoned little musings mixed with some goofy inside jokes, all delivered in this quasi-literate style. They do suit the music and also probably contribute a great deal to Pavements slacker rock reputation. Malkmus has admitted to smoking large quantities of weed while making this album.

Over all, this album wasn't immediately accessible. You have to listen to it a few times before the charm finally rises to the surface. Wowee Zowee does have it's finer moments, but for the most part is a very disjointed affair. It's definitely an album high points and low points, but as a whole is very unique and a very fun to experience. Pavement don't really release bad albums, but if you want a more cohesive and thought album, this isn't it. Wowee Zowee is excellent when it's good and just meh when it's not.

3.6/5




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[fijberto]

sounds pretty intricate for an indie rock band. On the subject of indie rockbands: thoughts on death cab for cutie sir?

[YoureWrongImRight]

THEY SUCK !

[visionfirst1970]

Pavement will be HUGE when UUUUUUUU least expect it,, 10 or 17 years ahead

of its whatever!!!!!!!!!!

Its very very good

Pavement will be Velvet Underground times 10

mark my words

trust me

[stenualdo]

this video is pretty much the epitome of periphrasis and tautology

[mst3ksanta]

whose the fag?



[visionfirst1970]

@MrGrieves1000 I was a bit drunk when I posted this LOL. Sometimes I go back and read my posts and chuckle. My last line, 'trust me" now thats just funny.

Agreed on Reed and the VU 100%. I was a huge fan way back during the butt rock days when all my friends were like Lou who?

Huge Pavement fan and and I will refrain to say that I think they will be very similiar to the VU with there original followers and many new found fans for decades to come!

Peace

[MrGrieves1000]

@visionfirst1970 i see what ur saying, but thats a bold statement. i think the VU will remain the most influential band of all time for a while. all the "genres" that started popping up in rock post-velvet were merely bastardizations of various aspects of lou reeds repertoire. i think pavement is probably the best band to come out since VU, but lou reed is still the most brilliant visionairy in rock-n-roll in my humble opinion.

[gamemasterzoomzoomom]

I love Pavement. They sound like earlier Blue Album Weezer but better.

[sushilll111]

Wowee Zowee is perfection

[chumpusmaximusohnose]

how can you have two pavement albums but neither of the 2 amazing debut ones, that's like only reading the bit of the bible that has all that dull talk about peace and love and none of the fire and torment stuff.

[visionfirst1970]

never ever ever call it "indie rock" call it americana musica pleeeeeeeeeeeeeze

inddie

[AirHendrix91]

Wowee Zowee kicks ass!

Pavement is rad!