Pavement - Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain: L.A.'s Desert Origins Album

Featuring all styles of rock and pop, the Crooked Rain album clearly demonstrates that the two California slackers that make up Pavement are pure rock and roll geniuses. One minute you get the noisy distorted guitars and screaming of "Silence Kit" and "Unfair,” while the very next song has a beautifully perfect pop melody ("Gold Soundz," "Range Life"). You never can tell where Pavement are headed in their records as in they can go from chaotic noise to perfect pop in a flash. This is an album that also just captures the alienation of being stuck in Sunny California with the heart of an indie rocker. Pavement’s sophomore effort is perfect from both a musical and lyrical perspective.