Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain
Pavement · 1994
158 min · 49 tracks · alternative rock
A lo-fi tapestry of jangly guitars and cryptic lyrics that captures the spirit of 90s alternative rock.
Top tracks — play these first
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Cut Your Hair — This track exemplifies Pavement's signature blend of catchy hooks and sardonic lyrics, critiquing the music industry while remaining irresistibly catchy.
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Gold Soundz — Gold Soundz is celebrated for its infectious melody and introspective lyrics, encapsulating the band's unique ability to mix accessibility with ambiguity.
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Range Life — In Range Life, Pavement reflects on fame and disillusionment in a way that feels both personal and universal, showcasing their narrative prowess.
Elevation
Our rating, out of 100 — and why.
AI-generated from five scored dimensions. An opinion, not a measurement.
The album's innovative sound and lyrical depth mark it as a significant entry in the indie rock genre.
What we noticed
- Lyrically, the songs contain cryptic and abstract imagery, with multiple layers of meaning that invite interpretation.
- Several tracks employ unconventional song structures, such as abrupt transitions and extended instrumental sections.
- Composition 25% of the score
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7/10
- Craft 20% of the score
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6/10
- Durability 25% of the score
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8/10
- Distinctiveness 18% of the score
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8/10
- Sequencing 12% of the score
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5/10
the writing — melody, harmony, structure, lyrics
production, performance, arrangement
whether it rewards returning to it
whether it sounds like itself
running order, pacing, length
Significant within its genre. Reported but not counted — how far a record travelled describes its reception rather than the record, and a newer release has had less time to travel than an older one.
Is this for you?
Good fit if you like
- long, immersive listening sessions
- dynamic emotional journeys
- layered, dense sonic textures
- contemplative afternoon vibes
- playful and irreverent moods
Where this album fits
- Career context
- Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain was Pavement's second album, released after their critically acclaimed debut, Slanted and Enchanted. At this point in their career, the band had begun to cement their influence on the burgeoning indie rock scene while still maintaining a playful, experimental approach to songwriting.
- Stylistic neighbors
- Sonic Youth· Guided by Voices· The Fall
Moments worth listening for
Where the writing does something specific.
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Gold Soundz
The shift from reflective verses to an upbeat chorus captures a moment of clarity amidst confusion.
This structural contrast emphasizes a sense of optimism that counterbalances the more introspective themes present throughout the song.
Tracklist
Best experienced from track one — press play and let it unfold.
Disc 1
- 1 Silence Kit 3:00
- 2 Elevate Me Later 2:51
- 3 Stop Breathin’ 4:27
- 4 Cut Your Hair 3:06
- 5 Newark Wilder 3:53
- 6 Unfair 2:33
- 7 Gold Soundz 2:39
- 8 5 − 4 = Unity 2:09
- 9 Range Life 4:54
- 10 Heaven Is a Truck 2:30
- 11 Hit the Plane Down 3:36
- 12 Fillmore Jive 6:38
- 13 Camera 3:45
- 14 Stare 2:51
- 15 Raft 3:34
- 16 Coolin’ by Sound 2:50
- 17 Kneeling Bus 1:34
- 18 Strings of Nashville 3:46
- 19 Exit Theory 0:59
- 20 5 − 4 Vocal 2:08
- 21 Jam Kids 4:54
- 22 Haunt You Down 4:51
- 23 Unseen Power of the Picket Fence 3:51
- 24 Nail Clinic 2:25
Disc 2
- 1 All My Friends 5:12
- 2 Soiled Little Filly 2:08
- 3 Range Life 4:11
- 4 Stop Breathing 3:54
- 5 Ell Ess Two 2:44
- 6 Flux = Rad 2:11
- 7 Bad Version of War 3:27
- 8 Same Way of Saying 4:35
- 9 Hands off the Bayou 2:43
- 10 Heaven Is a Truck (Egg Shell) 2:20
- 11 Grounded 3:35
- 12 Kennel District 3:24
- 13 Pueblo (Beach Boys) 3:47
- 14 Fucking Righteous 2:47
- 15 Colorado 1:13
- 16 Dark Ages 2:39
- 17 Flood Victim 1:17
- 18 JMC Retro 0:52
- 19 Rug Rat 3:05
- 20 Strings of Nashville (instrumental) 3:50
- 21 Instrumental 3:40
- 22 Brink of the Clouds 3:48
- 23 Tartar Martyr 3:13
- 24 Pueblo Domain 4:18
- 25 The Sutcliffe Catering Song 3:22
Reference: Wikipedia · MusicBrainz · Wikidata
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