Pavement - Wowee Zowee

Wowee Zowee was the third studio album by the now defunct American indie band Pavement (fronted by Stephen Malkmus). Pavement was one of the very few bands who achieved cult success without a major label. They remained signed to an independent label throughout their entire career (now that's what I call indie).

While Stephen Malkmus went on to his solo effort and side projects (most notably Silver Jews) with much success, Pavement is still, in my opinion, the best showcase of his song-writing talent. Every Pavement album is a gem, they are all worth your collection. But the zenith of Pavement's eclectic "slacker" pop rock MUST BE Wowee Zowee, no other contenders. Purists of their early years of noise pop ("Slanted & Enchanted" and "Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain") will condemn this album but hey don't listen to them. This is Pavement at their best and most focused(and most drugged up ironically). There are absolutely no fillers and no failures in this album, you will not regret getting it.

Choice cuts include Grounded, Rattled By the Rush, Brinx Job, Motion Suggests, Father to a Sister of Thought, Best Friend's Arms, Grave Architecture, Fight This Generation, Kennel District, Pueblo. hahaha sorry, that's like almost the whole album.

The best track is indisputably "Grounded".

Enough with the spazzing, here's the link:

Pavement - Wowee Zowee [mediafire]
Rating: 5/5

Air - Talkie Walkie

Talkie Walkie is the fourth offering by the French electronic duo Air. The album was produced, engineered and mixed by Nigel Godrich, the man who has worked with artists such as Beck, Pavement, R.E.M and most notably, Radiohead.

Talkie Walkie is a good platform for listeners who are just dabbling with electronic music. The seamless blending of stark electronic beats with piano/synths and other conventional instruments make the album more accessible and suitable for easy listening. Some recommended tunes include Surfing On A Rocket, Venus and Alpha Beta Gaga.

A little trivia regarding one of the tracks:

"Alone In Kyoto" was featured in Sofia Coppola's Lost In Translation.

Air - Talkie Walkie [mediafire]

Rating : 4/5

Blur - Modern Life Is Rubbish

Since the url of this potentially awesome music recommendation blog is inspired by a track from MLIR, it is only fair to begin with this album.

Modern Life is Rubbish is the second studio album by English Alternative (NOT DEFUNCT) band Blur. Yes, reunion for another album might seem improbable in the near future but hey, let's hope for the best.

Precursor to the critically acclaimed classic album, Parklife, MLIR is a severely underrated album that should be crowned the album that kick-started Britpop (yes, earlier than Suede). With anthemic tracks like For Tomorrow (the orchestra in the extended version *spasm*) and Chemical World, it is a deserving album on your classics collection.

Blur - Modern Life Is Rubbish [mediafire]

Rating: 5/5