In the early nineties, Nirvana created a diversion while Pavement created some of the best albums of the decade. Hard-core fans have a sentimental affinity for Slanted and Enchanted, but Crooked Rain is the better record. Not only do the individual songs stand out as among Pavement's best, but taken as a whole the album is much greater than the sum of its parts. The closing "Fillmore Jive" is pure brilliance.

Harold Check