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But yeah, Terror Twilight sounded way too precious for a band that made their name with sprawling feedback romps and and a sound like jelly.
It ended up feeling more like a Blur record than a Pavement one. Too much emphasis on individual instruments and background sounds, not enough of a squall. You can hear the "Britishness" of it... the attempt to organize and define the sonic elements that are really supposed to be smashed together and smeared all over your brain.
But I do love the absurdity of songs like "Billie" (oh, pretty folk song... what's this about fetuses? Ahh now they're just yelling for no reason!) and "Carrot Rope"... I swear, this song absolutely must be about exactly what it sounds like it's about... a pedo trying to get a of to touch his dick. And yet, what a gorgeous and uplifting moment it is musically. I can't hear that song and not turn it up and sing along and bounce around. It's physically impossible for me.
But still, "Texas Never Whispers" represents the most compelling and powerful sound the band ever achieved. I wish there were more Pavement songs in that vein.
Oh, and I don't think all SM+Jicks albums have sucked. Real Emptional Trash was quite brilliant in my opinion. But yeah, the rest is mostly pretty forgettable. Not as forgettable as J Mascis sans Dino (snore), but yeah- forgettable.
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