Needle In The Hay

Recently, I found a copy of a very classic, very rare EP that captured a transition period of a seminal band in the history of American underground rock. This album, which marked the end of an obscure chapter for the band and the beginning of a bright one, contains four great songs from one of America's greatest Lo-Fi Indie bands.

Based in Stockton, California, Pavement was one of the supreme highlights of the early 90s. Dozens of bands came to life as a result of their initial albums. This EP on Matador Records, Watery Domestic, is classic. It is immediate. It is rare. It is primitive. It is essential!

In the early 90s Pavement sounded like no one else around. They sounded, to me, like something that was meant to be listened to. Often, it took time to decipher the noise, but somehow that was the whole point! As soon as the droning feedback of "Texas Never Whispers" begins clawing at your eardrums you are aware that something big is coming. By the time Watery Domestic fades out you've been worked into such a frenzy that you have to start it over and listen again.

The two full-length albums from this era, Slanted & Enchanted and Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain still stand as Indie landmarks and should not be missed under any circumstances. That said, if you can find Watery Domestic... find it! It's the missing chapter from that era.