Details
Track Listing
1. Stereo
2. Shady Lane / J Vs. S
3. Transport Is Arranged
4. Date With Ikea
5. Old to Begin
6. Type Slowly
7. Embassy Row
8. Blue Hawaiian
9. We Are Underused
10. Passat Dream
11. Starlings of the Slipstream
12. Fin
| Details | | Distributor: | Alternative Dis. Alliance | | Recording Type: | Studio | | Recording Mode: | Stereo | | SPAR Code: | n/a |
Album Notes
Pavement: Stephen Malkmus, Mark Ibold, Spiral Stairs, Bob Nastanovich, Steve West.
A surprisingly divisive album when it came out in 1997, BRIGHTEN THE CORNERS was seen as too much of a softball to champions of the bizarro WOWEE ZOWEE, while those left scratching their heads after ZOWEE actually welcomed it. Whereas the latter has seemed more obviously great with each passing year, CORNERS remains what it always was--a catchy set of rockers and ballads, frontloaded with the attention-grabbing "Stereo," which gives the album its quirk. (Real fans know the secret that the last three or four tracks are the real classics.)
The 2008 deluxe reissue of BRIGHTEN THE CORNERS contains a second disc of rare, live, and unreleased tracks, including the band's cover of the Clean's "Oddity" and a truncated take on Faust's "It's a Rainy Day, Sunshine Girl."
Industry Reviews
Ranked #10 in the Village Voice's 1997 Pazz & Jop Critics' Poll.
Village Voice (02/24/1998)
Ranked #24 in NME's 1997 Critics' Poll.
4 Stars (out of 5) - ...reaffirms what was likeable about Pavement in the first place: their angular but graceful melodies, their languorous anti-anthems and, of course, Malkmus' labyrinthine--and often funny or poignant--lyrical turns...
Rolling Stone (02/20/1997)
8 (out of 10) - ...these tunes want you and they're not shy about it. They catch you up, charm, rouse, and freak you, and don't often ridicule....BRIGHTEN THE CORNERS is a guitar-rock album invigorated by hip-hop, in the same way MARQUEE MOON was a guitar-rock album invigorated by reggae...
Spin (03/01/1997)
3 Stars (out of 5) - ...Pavement have fallen into a more straightforward emotional gush on BRIGHTEN THE CORNERS....It's like Husker Du playing lo-fi pop punk with a spiked, almost newsworthy literate prosemaster, high on Pixies-flavoured twists...
Q (03/01/1997)
Recommended - ...melodic, accessible and...Sixties-influenced....In the same way Pavement's early material could've been seen as a loving tribute to the off-kilter eccentricity of The Fall, their fourth album is Britpop seen through a trans-Atlantic cultural prism...
Melody Maker (02/08/1997)
Curbing their smarty-pants indulgences, these wiseacres get down to business, crafting indie guitar rock that ebbs and flows with delicate power....BRIGHTEN proves there are still signs of life in this otherwise moribund genre. - Rating: B
3 Stars (out of 5) - ...The licks are still crispy, and the hooks are still catchy. Toe-tappingly catchy, in fact, to the point that [BRIGHTEN THE CORNERS] is likely to appeal broadly...
Alternative Press (03/01/1997)
Included in CMJ's list of Top 25 College Radio Albums of All Time
CMJ (01/06/2003)
Ranked #11 on Spin's list of the Top 20 Albums of the Year.
Spin (01/01/1998)
3 Stars (out of 5) - ...The licks are still crispy, and the hooks are still catchy. Toe-tappingly catchy, in fact, to the point that [BRIGHTEN THE CORNERS] is likely to appeal broadly...
Alternative Press (03/01/1997)
8 (out of 10) - ...these tunes want you and they're not shy about it. They catch you up, charm, rouse, and freak you, and don't often ridicule....BRIGHTEN THE CORNERS is a guitar-rock album invigorated by hip-hop, in the same way MARQUEE MOON was a guitar-rock album invigorated by reggae...
Spin (03/01/1997)
3 stars out of 5 -- [Pavement] could breathlessly churn out melodies and riffs.
[With] some of Pavement's finest moments; from 'Shady Lane' to 'Stereo,' it's a welcome revisit to one of the most 'indie' bands ever.
4 stars out of 5 -- This 1997 set showcases the band at its breeziest...as singer Stephen Malkmus muses slightly less cryptically than usual over loose-limbed guitars and honest-to-goodness hooks.
4 stars out of 5 -- Moments of melodic pop genius such as 'Shady Lane' and Byrds-influenced 'Date w/Ikea' sit snugly next to the quieter likes of 'Transport Is Arranged' and beautiful 'Starlings Of The Slipstream.'
[A] trove of effortless pleasures, from the pogo-party frolic 'Stereo' to the rickety, fuzzed-up gem 'Date w/ Ikea.' -- Grade: A
4.5 stars out of 5 -- In 1997, these slacker romantics slowed things down and serenaded their fans, delivering an album short on noise and long on artfully dissonant ballads.
4 stars out of 5 -- BRIGHTEN THE CORNERS remains the indie subersives' sturdiest selection of songs, with a slight return of the Gen X anthem in the switchbacking, Geddy Lee-invoking 'Stereo' and a resurgence of mainman Stephen Malkmus's needling wiseacre persona...
[T]he singles 'Stereo' and 'Shady Lane' are among the band's best...
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