Amazon.co.uk Review Even before it totally kicks in, Brighten the Corners displays a sense of improvement over the listless, shapeless Wowee Zowee. A few simple musical touches like Mellotron strokes and ever-developing vocal harmonies open up Pavement's sound without carrying them off into overly textured snooziness. While this is often cited as Pavement's "domestic" record--several members got married around the time of its creation--its songs more often evince puzzlement than McCartneyish delight with family matters. And as always, Pavement is buzzed about rock; the album's final song is called "Fin" not so much in homage to French film as in rhythm to the marching cadence of Fleetwood Mac's "Tusk". --Jimmy A. Corrigan
Pavement's best gets the treat.December 27, 2008 Joao Nunes(Portugal) These Pavement double-disc deluxe editions that are being released by Matador every 2 years are among the best reissues that I know. The gorgeous packaging, the brilliant design work, the massive booklets stuffed with interesting liner notes and photos, and the tons of extra-tracks set a new standard to the so-called deluxe editions. Brighten The Corners: Nicene Creedence Edition (love the weird sub-titles!) maintains the level.
This is my favourite Pavement album and ever since these deluxe-editions started coming out I had been waiting for its turn. Brighten The Corners is Pavement's strongest and most consistent album. All these are good "proper" songs. There is no fooling around with thrown away ideas or silly jams. I understand that those are natural ingredients of the Pavement sound, but Wowee Zowee surely needed a bit more editing and quality control. And don't get it wrong, this is far from shinny and polished, this is still 100% low-fi indie rock as according to Pavement. The band still indulges here and there but overall things are much more in control.
Highlights include the college rock hit 'Stereo' with its bumpy bass line and explosive chorus, the catchy 'Shady Lane' and - a personal favourite and my favourite Scott Kannberg song - the chiming urgent 'Date with IKEA' with its byrdsian guitar all over. The album has a double grand finale with two slow-moving ballads 'Starlings Of The Slipstream' and 'Fin' that feature extended epic guitar abuse by Malkmus with loads of feedback and over-bent strings.
Of the 30-plus bonus tracks you can expect the usual treat. Excellent, interesting, funny, pointless, we get a bit of everything. But there are some standout tracks. The embryonic 'The Hexx', then called 'And Then', is as much powerful as it is underdeveloped. The instrumental 'Beautiful As A Batterfly', 'Westie Can Drum', 'Harness Your Hopes', 'Destroy Mater Dei', 'The Classical'.... are all great additions to this album.
The 50-page booklet features a long essay that deals more with the importance of nonsense lyrics in rock songs and, particularly, in Pavement. It's a very interesting text that runs for several pages until it arrives at Brighten The Corners just at closing time. But I miss a bit of historic context in the liner notes - the recording process, what the band was going through.
For the first time in these re-issues, there are no words by Stephen Malkmus or any of the band members or people involved on the making of the record. This brings back the idea that this album is so under-appreciated, probably even by the band - something that really puzzles me.
Nicene Creedance ExtrasDecember 18, 2008 blodwynswayze This is not my favourite album by Pavement but this deluxe edition has some brilliant extra tracks. Notably the rocking No Tan Lines and Harness Your Hopes a song like a distillation of the Pavement essence. Also the harmonica powered Roll With the Wind is a corker.
Well, MY corners have been brightened...August 17, 2007 Neil 0 out of 2 found this review helpful
This is a terrific album. I'd kind of forgotten how much I liked Pavement until seeing the "Slow Century" DVD recently. I'd continued following Stephen Malkus - I love his first solo album and I saw him with the Jicks twice, and those gigs were fantastic. I've heard the other two Malkmus and the Jicks albums, but I don't have them yet. They haven't immediately caught my imagination, except the song, "It Kills" which is fantastic.
Anyway, "Brighten The Corners" was the first Pavement record I ever got, having seen them live in 1997. I also think it's (probably) their best. "Crooked Rain Crooked Rain" is a little patchy in quality, and while "Terror Twilight" is wonderful for the most part, it is a little overproduced, and does possess one or two clunky tracks. So while "Brighten the Corners" is more polished than "Crooked Rain", it is its imperfections that raise it above the quality of "Twilight".
When I first heard it it was the first tracks that really stood out for me: "Stereo" - with the wonderful line, "what about the voice of Geddy Lee/ How did it get so high?/ I wonder if he speaks like an ordinary guy" which is answered with, "I know him, and he does!"- "Shady Lane" - with the brilliant, "you've been chosen as an extra in the movie adaptation of the sequel to your life..." - and "Transport Is Arranged" with it's wicked guitar duelling.
As the years have passed, and I've listened to the album more and more, it's the later tracks that continue to surprise and delight me. I still like "Stereo", but the way Malkmus sounds a little uncomfortable when he sings, "Pigs they tend to wiggle when they walk" disturbs me slightly. A small qualm, but it is at the forefront of my mind nevertheless.
I'm glad to have rediscovered Pavement. You should discover or rediscover them too. They still sound fresh, and their arrangements and musicianship is excellent. The way they combine dissonance and off-key singing with some excellent tunes while playing a beautiful mix of lead and rhythm guitar - almost progressive songs but kept generally within the 3 to 4 minute area - is unique. I really do miss them, now I've found them again. Still, at least we still have Malkmus... his Jicks may not be as much fun as Pavement, but they are equally as good in other ways.
theres no coast of nebraskaMarch 17, 2007 Cliford Peter Clarke(england) 2 out of 2 found this review helpful
'whats your favourite pavement album?' is a rhetorical question for me, i mean if push came to shove, i guess ill listen to crooked rain crooked rain the most, but brighten the corners is a cryptic record, that really does seem to change everytime you listen to it. Lyrically its just fantastical-SM's bizzare phrasing is not only highly original but the unpredictability makes every listen seem different. and what a range of songs on offer here! so different, even though the album is bought together by a strange and slightly disturbing undercurrent. I always think of this album as the personality fight we all endure within ourselves, the conflicting emotions that at times make us feel literally insane. anyways, highlights include- shady lane - transport is arranged-passat dream-starlings in the slipstream-blue hawiian and date with ikea is awsome too. one of those special albums, that reminds you just how complicated it is to be human sometimes- the comedy, and the tragedy.
Edges papered, but tenderness remainsMay 26, 2006 Mr. Joe R. Simpson 2 out of 3 found this review helpful
Coming nearer to the end of their career than the start, 'Brighten the Corners' does seem to encompass most of the facets Pavement have to offer
The opening track, 'Stereo' opens with a strolling bassline, soon overwhelmed with typically vicious guitar feedback. However, the feedback is all a little too consistant, and the production seems a lot more polished than previous albums. Whether this is good or bad is a matter of opinion, however personally I feel that the band have missed a trick here, with the song lacking the edge it should have if the production was left a little more free.
The second track, 'Shady Lane' is a move away from the attacking noise of the opening. It shows Pavement at perhaps their most tenderest, and with that, their most vulnerable.
These first two tracks were both singles, and are a great start to the album
Other highlights include 'We are underused'. The opening riff sounds like something straight out of tetris, but then moves on to Malkmus's lyrics dragging the rest of the band in classic apathetic unison.
'Starlings in the slipstream' Once again shows the softer endearing side to Pavement, but unlike 'Shady Lane' has a darker edge, both lyrically, and in the breakdown midway through.
Overall this album represents some of the best aspects of Pavement, and is perhaps the best of their later albums. However, if it is the Lo-fi edge you are looking for, you may find yourself slightly disappointed. While the shearing guitars, strolling lyrics and distressed structure is all present, it is underneath a sheen of uncharacteristically tidy production
