Pavement - Elevate Me Later
Pavement - Elevate Me Later
It’s ten years since Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain came out, it’s only a couple of years since I realised that this particular song isn’t actually called Alleviate Me Later, and only a few minutes since I realised that I’ve spelt alleviate wrong for the past 27 years (eliviate). Not that I’ve ever had much call to use it.
Anyway, why talk about Pavement now? It’s because it’s just struck me that one of the things I like about Pavement is that they sound exotic, like far flung places, art school sophistication, a hazy kind of summer that I could just maybe enjoy. Not at all like I find myself today, sitting at my desk doing homework, exactly the same as when I first heard this album. It’s quite depressing.
This song is nonsense, flowing words that make no sense, casual instrumentation. Probably, one of the first bands, along with Eric’s Trip (who I’m going to listen to next) that made me think you don’t need to play well to be in a band, but you still need something. The moment my heavy metal view of musicianship really just fell apart, the learn some power chords, practice your scales, drop D tuning…
It’s the “sleep with electric guitars” line that I always remember, like it’s something to aspire to.
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