Pavement - Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain: LA's Desert Origins (2004)

This deluxe double disc reissue is a superbly done follow-up to the treatment afforded Pavements brilliant 92 debut Slanted & Enchanted. L.A.'s Desert Origins is a joy for fans, with the majority of the second disc previously unreleased demos and outtakes. Crooked Rain is enjoyable and has some of their best songs ("Range Life," "Gold Soundz," "Silence Kit") but its a strange, transitional album by a band still a little wobbly on their prog-rock feet. With this 94 release, the stadium-ready lineup of the erudite garage group had solidified, though it was not quite solid. Erratic, eccentric producer/drummer Gary Young had been booted out of the band, whose previous recordings were primarily made by Scott Kannberg and Stephen Malkmus. With two percussionists and bassist Mark Ibold brought into the studio, Crooked Rain has a far warmer, less trebly sound to it. Among the many extras included on this expanded version are the bands two exceptional, unironic tributes to R.E.M. --Mike McGonigal