Brighten the Corners: Nicene Creedence Edition

Eleven years after its release, Brighten the Corners seems like more of a great introduction to the seminal Cali outfit than a great Pavement album. It’s not as exciting as the band’s sludgy debut Slanted and Enchanted, which introduced English majors everywhere to the sarcastic, pop-literary lyricist Stephen Malkmus, or as consistently amusing as its follow-up, Crooked Rain Crooked Rain. But for first-time listeners who want a quick grasp of what all the fuss is about, it’s ace.  With a more straightforward rock backdrop, Malkmus spits out non-sequiturs about getting malaria from his “baby” (“Stereo”), putting “a spy cam in a sorority” (“Starlings of the Slipstream”) and seeing “a redder shade of neck on a whiter shade of trash” (“Shady Lane”), and, somehow, the odd mix pretty much always comes off like a cool love song. This 44-track reissue is filled with outtakes, unreleased songs and radio appearances recorded between ’96 and ’97, including a surprisingly heartfelt cover of Echo & the Bunnymen’s “The Killing Moon” and B-side “Harness Your Hopes,” a song that’s so damn catchy, it’s a wonder this band didn’t give Weezer a run for its money on the airwaves.