Pavement: influences, peers and legacy

Every connection with its receipt

Pavement formed in Stockton, California in 1989 around Stephen Malkmus and Scott Kannberg, recording their earliest EPs in drummer Gary Young's home studio. Their sound welded the noise and dissonance of The Fall and Swell Maps to classic-rock songcraft, filtered through the American indie network of Homestead, Drag City and Matador. This mix traces the lineage from British post-punk through Northern California DIY to the slacker-guitar bands that followed.

The Kynda mix for Pavement

• Key Influence · Hex Enduction Hour by The Fall (1982). Malkmus's talk-sung, aside-laden vocal delivery and Pavement's repetitive two-chord grind are inseparable from Mark E. Smith's Fall, the comparison that dogged the band from their first reviews and which they repeatedly acknowledged. Hex Enduction Hour's twin-drummer clatter, buried tape hiss and non-sequitur lyricism map almost directly onto Slanted and Enchanted, whose early cassette-quality production critics heard as a Fall homage.
• Influencia Obscura · A Trip to Marineville by Swell Maps (1979). The Birmingham DIY group's collision of pop fragments, tape noise and half-finished sketches is a documented Pavement touchstone; the band's habit of sequencing polished songs beside deliberate throwaways follows the Swell Maps method exactly. Their Rough Trade-era records circulated among American indie collectors in the late 80s, and Malkmus has named them among the obscurities that shaped the Westing-era EPs.
• Local Roots · Grand Prix by Chavez (1996). Matador, the New York label that released Pavement's albums from Slanted and Enchanted onward, built a roster where Pavement were the flagship. Chavez's angular, riff-heavy guitar rock came out of the same Gerard Cosloy/Chris Lombardi operation, shared bills and press cycles, and defined the mid-90s Matador sound that Pavement's success financed. The label connection is the band's most consequential geography beyond Stockton.
• Beyond the Medium · Repo Man by Alex Cox (1984). Cox's deadpan Los Angeles comedy, with its punk soundtrack and non-sequitur philosophizing about the lattice of coincidence, is the closest cinematic cousin to Pavement's ironic-but-affectionate register. The film was a canonical text for American indie musicians of the late 80s, and its blend of suburban aimlessness and absurdist dialogue anticipates the lyrical world of "Range Life" and "Cut Your Hair".slotType:
• Peer · In on the Kill Taker by Fugazi (1993). Ian MacKaye's band represented the ethical pole of American indie during Pavement's rise, and the two acts embodied opposite responses to the post-Nirvana major-label gold rush: both refused it, one with discipline, one with jokes. Pavement operated inside the same touring and fanzine network, and Fugazi's insistence that an independent band could stay independent shaped the environment in which Pavement chose Matador.
• From the Canon · Wowee Zowee by Pavement (1995). The album that best explains Pavement's method: eighteen tracks lurching between country lament, hardcore blast and half-finished sketch, recorded in Memphis at Easley studio after the near-hit of "Cut Your Hair" made a conventional follow-up expected. Its deliberate refusal of momentum cost them commercial ground and became the fan favourite, the clearest statement of the band's suspicion of its own polish.
• Key Collaborator · Face the Truth by Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks (2005). After Pavement dissolved in 2000, Malkmus relocated to Portland and built the Jicks, and this album is where his post-Pavement writing sharpened into home-recorded electronics, extended guitar workouts and the same allusive lyricism. It shows which parts of Pavement were his hand and which came from the group, making it the clearest window onto the band's central creative partnership.
• Legacy · Is This It by The Strokes (2001). Julian Casablancas and Albert Hammond Jr. came up on 90s American indie, and the interlocking two-guitar arrangements and deadpan half-sung delivery of their debut are unthinkable without Pavement's template. Arriving the year after Pavement's split, Is This It carried the sound of unpolished, guitar-forward New York rock into the mainstream that Pavement had circled but declined to enter.

What influenced Pavement

• Echo & the Bunnymen. Band explicitly lists Echo & the Bunnymen as an influence. (also via The Killing Moon) “The band has also listed Sonic Youth , Echo & the Bunnymen , and R.E.M. as direct influences.” (Wikipedia)
• R.E.M.. Band explicitly lists R.E.M. as an influence. (also via Camera) “The band has also listed Sonic Youth , Echo & the Bunnymen , and R.E.M. as direct influences.” (Wikipedia)
• Swell Maps. Swell Maps' influence on Pavement's debut album noted. (also via A Trip to Marineville) “as was that of English post-punk band Swell Maps” (Wikipedia)
• The Fall. States Pavement's early influence. (also via Hex Enduction Hour, The Classical) “Early in their career, Pavement were influenced by English post-punk band the Fall” (Wikipedia)
• A Trip to Marineville by Swell Maps (1979). A Trip to Marineville (Swell Maps) — ghost for Pavement “== Influence == Swell Maps have been cited as an influence by bands including Dinosaur Jr., R.E.M., Nirvana and Pavement.” (en.wikipedia.org)
• Sonic Youth. Band explicitly lists Sonic Youth as an influence. “The band has also listed Sonic Youth , Echo & the Bunnymen , and R.E.M. as direct influences.” (Wikipedia)
• Wild Gift by X (1981). Wild Gift (X) — ghost for Pavement (musicbrainz.org)
• Marquee Moon by Television (1977). Marquee Moon (Television) — titan for Pavement (musicbrainz.org)
• Zen Arcade by Hüsker Dü (1984). Zen Arcade (Hüsker Dü) — titan for Pavement (musicbrainz.org)
• Hex Enduction Hour by The Fall (1982). Hex Enduction Hour (The Fall) — titan for Pavement (musicbrainz.org)
• Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace (1996). Infinite Jest (David Foster Wallace) — culture for Pavement (openlibrary.org)
• Slacker by Richard Linklater (1991). Slacker (Richard Linklater) — culture for Pavement (themoviedb.org)
• Repo Man by Alex Cox (1984). Repo Man (Alex Cox) — culture for Pavement (themoviedb.org)

Peers and kindred spirits

• Angel Olsen. Shared festival bill. “the band appeared at the Mona Foma festival in Hobart alongside Bikini Kill , Angel Olsen and Jockstrap” (Wikipedia)
• Bikini Kill. Shared festival bill. “the band appeared at the Mona Foma festival in Hobart alongside Bikini Kill , Angel Olsen and Jockstrap” (Wikipedia)
• Silver Jews. Shared studio time/connection between Pavement members and Silver Jews. “Their studio time was originally reserved for a Silver Jews recording, but frontman David Berman walked out in frustration and the trio decided not to waste prepaid recording time.” (Wikipedia)
• Gary Young. Young was original drummer for Pavement. “Gary Young , who also played drums on the recordings” (Wikipedia)
• Free Kitten by Kim Gordon (1997). Free Kitten (Kim Gordon) — collaborator for Pavement “== Career == Based in New York, Ibold's other musical projects have included Dustdevils, of which he was a member in the late 1980s and early 1990s, and Free Kitten, which included Sonic Youth's Kim Gordon, Pussy Galore's Julie Cafritz a…” (en.wikipedia.org)
• Rebecca Cole. Cole joined Pavement as touring musician. “Pavement were joined by the keyboardist and backing vocalist Rebecca Cole” (Wikipedia)
• Jockstrap. Shared festival bill. “the band appeared at the Mona Foma festival in Hobart alongside Bikini Kill , Angel Olsen and Jockstrap” (Wikipedia)
• Camera by R.E.M.. Pavement covered an R.E.M. song. “and covered "Camera" which appeared as a B-side on the single of "Cut Your Hair".” (Wikipedia)
• Band Of Horses. Shared festival bill/scene connection. “the Toronto Island Concert in June with Broken Social Scene , Band Of Horses , and others” (Wikipedia)
• Billy Corgan. Documents a public rivalry between Corgan and Pavement. “Smashing Pumpkins leader Billy Corgan threatened to drop his band from their slot headlining the 1994 Lollapalooza Festival if Pavement was allowed to play.” (Wikipedia)
• Broken Social Scene. Shared festival bill/scene connection. “the Toronto Island Concert in June with Broken Social Scene , Band Of Horses , and others” (Wikipedia)
• The Killing Moon by Echo & the Bunnymen. Pavement covered this Echo & the Bunnymen song. “They have also covered Echo & the Bunnymen's " The Killing Moon " on the Major Leagues EP.” (Wikipedia)
• The Wedding Present. Wedding Present covered a Pavement song. (via Box Elder) “British indie rock band the Wedding Present covered the Slay Tracks song "Box Elder" after their bassist discovered the album during a trip to the United States.” (Wikipedia)
• Exile in Guyville by Liz Phair (1993). Exile in Guyville (Liz Phair) — peer for Pavement (musicbrainz.org)
• On the Beach by Neil Young (1974). On the Beach (Neil Young) — geography for Pavement (musicbrainz.org)
• Shotgun & Jaybird by Preston School of Industry (2001). Shotgun & Jaybird (Preston School of Industry) — collaborator for Pavement “Spiral Stairs) in 1999, following the dissolution of his previous band Pavement.” (en.wikipedia.org)
• In on the Kill Taker by Fugazi (1993). In on the Kill Taker (Fugazi) — peer for Pavement (musicbrainz.org)
• Face the Truth by Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks (2005). Face the Truth (Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks) — collaborator for Pavement “Stephen Joseph Malkmus ( MALK-miss; born May 30, 1966) is an American musician best known as the primary songwriter, lead singer and guitarist of the indie rock band Pavement.” (en.wikipedia.org)
• Bee Thousand by Guided by Voices (1994). Bee Thousand (Guided by Voices) — geography for Pavement (musicbrainz.org)
• Spiderland by Slint (1991). Spiderland (Slint) — peer for Pavement (musicbrainz.org)
• Grand Prix by Chavez (1996). Grand Prix (Chavez) — geography for Pavement
• The Classical by The Fall. Pavement covered a Fall song on the Major Leagues EP.

Who Pavement influenced

• Lee Ranaldo. Ranaldo of Sonic Youth praises Pavement's cultural significance. “Sonic Youth's Lee Ranaldo praised Pavement for their endearingly eclectic sound that, according to the musician, really defined the 90s musical landscape.” (Wikipedia)
• Mark E. Smith. Mark E. Smith comments on Pavement's derivative sound relative to the Fall. “The Fall singer Mark E. Smith claimed that Pavement were a "rip-off"” (Wikipedia)
• Telephono. Critics compared Telephono's sound to Pavement. “The album was met with mixed reviews, with critics comparing their sound to Pavement , Pixies and Wire” (Wikipedia)
• Bright Green Field by Squid (2021). Bright Green Field (Squid) — legacy for Pavement (musicbrainz.org)
• Twin Fantasy by Car Seat Headrest (2018). Twin Fantasy (Car Seat Headrest) — legacy for Pavement “Writing for Pitchfork, Jeremy Gordon stated that on Teens of Denial, "Will Toledo reaffirms that he is ahead of the pack as an imaginative singer-songwriter, capable of crafting dynamic indie rock." Ian Cohen of Pitchfork also described …” (en.wikipedia.org)
• Is This It by The Strokes (2001). Is This It (The Strokes) — legacy for Pavement (musicbrainz.org)
• Spoon. Wowee Zowee (Pavement) — ghost for Spoon (via Wowee Zowee) (musicbrainz.org)