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When Pavement quietly disbanded
in the Summer of 2000, Stephen Malkmus
went his own way and recorded his eponymous debut.
Scott Kannberg aka Spiral Stairs,
the man who coined the name "Pavement,"
started The Preston School of Industry.
Spiral's songs in Pavement
were the anthems (think 'Forklift,'
'Two States,' and 'Kennel
District'). They were songs whose hooks and heart made them
among the most loved of the Pavement
canon. Spiral was the one that,
despite Pavement's signs of irony
and evasive humor, believed in something, even if it initially seemed
to be an ode to the infamous 'Peanut Nutroll' ('Mussle Rock') or
the dodging of the much-sought major magazine photo-op.
But from the first notes of PSOI's
'Whalebones' you'll know you're in that old familiar Pavement
territory. Yes, there you are, surrounded by all your favorite guitar
licks that threaten to momentarily fall apart just as they arabesque
briefly, almost imperceptively. Spiral
steps into uncharted territory by adding flugal horns and cello,
not to mention actually letting us hear his voice.
Finally, Preston School of Industry
with Andrew Borger (Tom
Waits, Moore Bros.) on drums and Jon
Erickson (Moore Bros.) on bass plus various talented and
inspired Bay Area musicians sets fire to all of George's lawn gnomes
as Spiral sidesteps all comparisons
to previous incarnations to begin building the foundations of a
whole new dynasty of his own.
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