Complete List Of Pavement Albums And Discography

Feature Photo: Masao Nakagami, CC BY-SA 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

Our Complete List of Pavement Albums and Discography looks at a band formed in Stockton, California, in 1989. Pavement became one of the defining groups of 1990s indie rock through its lo-fi production, cryptic lyrics, fractured guitar parts, unexpected hooks, and refusal to follow mainstream rock conventions.

Stephen Malkmus and Scott Kannberg, also known as Spiral Stairs, began Pavement as a recording project with drummer and producer Gary Young. The group expanded to include bassist Mark Ibold and percussionist Bob Nastanovich, while Steve West later replaced Young on drums and completed the lineup associated with most of the band’s studio career.

Pavement released the EP Slay Tracks: 1933–1969 in 1989 and followed it with additional early recordings before issuing its debut studio album, Slanted and Enchanted, in 1992. The band released five studio albums before separating after the touring cycle for Terror Twilight.

The group reunited for tours in 2010 and again beginning in 2022. Pavement has continued to release expanded editions, compilations, archival recordings, soundtrack material, and reissues, but the five original studio albums remain the foundation of its catalog. The principal studio and official live albums are presented below in chronological order.

Pavement Studio Albums

Slanted and Enchanted (1992)

Released: April 20, 1992

Slanted and Enchanted was Pavement’s debut studio album and one of the defining independent-rock releases of the early 1990s. Its rough production, melodic guitar noise, elliptical lyrics, and casually brilliant songwriting established an approach that countless later bands would follow.

The album was recorded primarily at Gary Young’s Louder Than You Think studio in Stockton, California. Stephen Malkmus handled most of the vocals and guitar, Scott Kannberg contributed guitar and vocals, and Young played drums. Mark Ibold and Bob Nastanovich also appeared as the lineup expanded during this period.

Although the album did not initially become a major commercial hit, its reputation grew rapidly. Songs including “Summer Babe,” “In the Mouth a Desert,” “Here,” and “Zurich Is Stained” became essential parts of Pavement’s catalog.

CD Track Listing:

“Summer Babe (Winter Version)” – 3:16
“Trigger Cut/Wounded-Kite at :17” – 3:17
“No Life Singed Her” – 2:08
“In the Mouth a Desert” – 3:52
“Conduit for Sale!” – 2:52
“Zurich Is Stained” – 1:41
“Chesley’s Little Wrists” – 1:15
“Loretta’s Scars” – 2:55
“Here” – 3:56
“Two States” – 1:47
“Perfume-V” – 2:09
“Fame Throwa” – 3:22
“Jackals, False Grails: The Lonesome Era” – 3:21
“Our Singer” – 3:09

Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain (1994)

Released: February 14, 1994

Pavement’s second studio album, Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain, presented a clearer and more accessible sound than the band’s debut without sacrificing its humor, irregular structures, or independent spirit.

Steve West replaced Gary Young on drums, joining Stephen Malkmus, Scott Kannberg, Mark Ibold, and Bob Nastanovich. Pavement worked with engineer and producer Bryce Goggin during sessions in New York.

The album reached number 121 on the Billboard 200. “Cut Your Hair” became Pavement’s best-known alternative-rock single at the time, while “Gold Soundz,” “Range Life,” “Stop Breathin,” and “Fillmore Jive” helped make the record one of the band’s most enduring works.

CD Track Listing:

“Silence Kid” – 3:00
“Elevate Me Later” – 2:51
“Stop Breathin” – 4:27
“Cut Your Hair” – 3:06
“Newark Wilder” – 3:53
“Unfair” – 2:33
“Gold Soundz” – 2:39
“5-4=Unity” – 2:09
“Range Life” – 4:54
“Heaven Is a Truck” – 2:30
“Hit the Plane Down” – 3:36
“Fillmore Jive” – 6:38

Wowee Zowee (1995)

Released: April 11, 1995

Wowee Zowee was Pavement’s third studio album and its most sprawling original release. The record moved freely among punk, country rock, folk, psychedelia, noise, and fragmented pop without attempting to smooth the transitions.

The album was recorded at Easley Record in Memphis and at Random Falls, with Doug Easley, Davis McCain, and Mark Venezia involved in the sessions. The lineup featured Stephen Malkmus, Scott Kannberg, Mark Ibold, Steve West, and Bob Nastanovich.

Its eighteen tracks initially divided some listeners, but the album’s reputation grew substantially over time. “Grounded,” “Rattled by the Rush,” “Father to a Sister of Thought,” “AT&T,” and “Fight This Generation” display the remarkable range Pavement achieved during this period.

CD Track Listing:

“We Dance” – 3:01
“Rattled by the Rush” – 4:16
“Black Out” – 2:10
“Brinx Job” – 1:31
“Grounded” – 4:14
“Serpentine Pad” – 1:16
“Motion Suggests” – 3:15
“Father to a Sister of Thought” – 3:30
“Extradition” – 2:12
“Best Friend’s Arm” – 2:19
“Grave Architecture” – 4:16
“AT&T” – 3:32
“Flux = Rad” – 1:45
“Fight This Generation” – 4:22
“Kennel District” – 2:59
“Pueblo” – 3:25
“Half a Canyon” – 6:10
“Western Homes” – 1:49

Brighten the Corners (1997)

Released: February 11, 1997

Brighten the Corners was Pavement’s fourth studio album. Its songs were generally more concise and polished than those on Wowee Zowee, but the group’s odd humor and unpredictable guitar interplay remained intact.

The classic lineup of Stephen Malkmus, Scott Kannberg, Mark Ibold, Steve West, and Bob Nastanovich recorded the album with Mitch Easter and Bryce Goggin at Piedmont Triad in North Carolina. Pavement and Goggin completed the mixing at Water Music.

“Stereo” and “Shady Lane” became two of the album’s most recognizable songs. “Transport Is Arranged,” “Type Slowly,” “Embassy Row,” and “Fin” demonstrated that a more focused production style did not require Pavement to surrender its mystery.

CD Track Listing:

“Stereo” – 3:07
“Shady Lane” – 3:50
“Transport Is Arranged” – 3:52
“Date with Ikea” – 2:39
“Old to Begin” – 3:22
“Type Slowly” – 5:20
“Embassy Row” – 3:51
“Blue Hawaiian” – 3:33
“We Are Underused” – 4:12
“Passat Dream” – 3:51
“Starlings of the Slipstream” – 3:08
“Fin” – 5:24

Terror Twilight (1999)

Released: June 8, 1999

Terror Twilight was Pavement’s fifth and final studio album. Nigel Godrich produced and mixed the record, giving it the cleanest and most carefully layered sound of the band’s original career.

The album was conceived in Portland, Oregon, rehearsed in Lexington, Virginia, and recorded during 1998 in New York and London. Radiohead guitarist Jonny Greenwood contributed harmonica to “Platform Blues” and “Billie,” while Dominic Murcott played drums on “Major Leagues” and “…And Carrot Rope.”

Stephen Malkmus assumed a more dominant role in the writing and direction, contributing to tensions within the group. Even so, songs such as “Spit on a Stranger,” “You Are a Light,” “Major Leagues,” and “The Hexx” gave Pavement’s original studio run a memorable conclusion.

CD Track Listing:

“Spit on a Stranger” – 3:04
“Folk Jam” – 3:34
“You Are a Light” – 3:54
“Cream of Gold” – 3:47
“Major Leagues” – 3:24
“Platform Blues” – 4:42
“Ann Don’t Cry” – 4:09
“Billie” – 3:44
“Speak, See, Remember” – 4:19
“The Hexx” – 5:39
“…And Carrot Rope” – 3:52

Pavement Live Albums

Live Europaturnén MCMXCVII (2008)

Released: December 9, 2008

Live Europaturnén MCMXCVII documents Pavement on tour in Europe during 1997. The performances capture the lineup of Stephen Malkmus, Scott Kannberg, Mark Ibold, Steve West, and Bob Nastanovich during the Brighten the Corners era.

The recording was initially associated with a limited vinyl release and later became available digitally. Its thirteen-song sequence combines material from several points in Pavement’s career.

Track Listing:

“Father to a Sister of Thought” – 3:37
“Shady Lane” – 2:42
“Silence Kit” – 2:52
“Stereo” – 3:03
“Type Slowly” – 6:07
“Blue Hawaiian” – 4:19
“Painted Soldiers” – 2:38
“Cut Your Hair” – 2:55
“Stop Breathing” – 4:45
“We Are Underused” – 3:58
“Loretta’s Scars” – 3:10
“Fin” – 4:49
“Range Life” – 5:36

Live Europaturnén MCMXCVII (Version 2) (2009)

Released: April 18, 2009

The second version of Live Europaturnén MCMXCVII presents a different ten-song performance sequence from Pavement’s 1997 European touring period. It was released for Record Store Day in 2009 and later became available through digital services.

The two editions should not be combined into one forty-song concert. They are separate live releases with different performances and running orders.

Track Listing:

“Shady Lane” – 3:13
“And Then (The Hexx)” – 5:13
“Date w/ IKEA” – 2:45
“Transport Is Arranged” – 3:36
“Stereo” – 2:53
“Kennel District” – 2:35
“Cut Your Hair” – 2:59
“Fin” – 4:50
“Blue Hawaiian” – 4:16
“Grave Architecture” – 4:08

Later Archival and Compilation Releases

Pavement’s five-album studio catalog has been expanded repeatedly through deluxe editions and archival collections. Terror Twilight: Farewell Horizontal appeared in 2022 with remastered tracks, B-sides, demos, rehearsals, live material, and previously unreleased recordings.

The band also participated in the 2025 film Pavements, whose soundtrack mixed rehearsal recordings, live performances, dialogue, and new material connected to the production. The compilation Hecklers Choice: Big Gums and Heavy Lifters followed in 2025, and the early EP Perfect Sound Forever received a new standalone release in 2026.