Bands

A bunch of over-educated, record collecting outsiders. More than any other band, American Pavement are responsible for the lo-fi revolution which has swept the Indie scene in the '90s. Originally a duo which released three innovative 7" singles around the turn of the decade, the band took shape around the release of its first album, "Slanted & Enchanted" which, when it appeared in 1992, almost defined the slacker aesthetic which was so new at the time, but which five years on still epitomises large parts of the independent music scene. Despite the group's deliberately nonchalant sound and totally anti-rock attitude, the record reveals that they are reasonably well-versed in rock history and know their post-modern theses and semiotics. Not that it stops Pavement being both entertaining and often wildly funny, though. The group's latest release, the Mitch Easter produced "Brighten The Corners", is its most consistently melodic and accessible to date.