Slanted and Enchanted (1992)

Slanted and Enchanted is the debut studio album by American indie rock band Pavement, released on April 20, 1992, by Matador Records. It is the only Pavement album to feature drummer Gary Young.

The title Slanted and Enchanted is taken from the title of a cartoon made by the band’s friend David Berman. Its cover art was created by appropriating that of an existing album, Ferrante & Teicher's Keyboard Kapers.

The album received critical acclaim and is seen as a landmark for indie rock, with Rolling Stone ranking it 199th on its 2020 edition of "The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time". As of 2007, the album had sold 150,000 copies. In 2022, Alex Ross Perry adapted the album into a rock opera titled Slanted! Enchanted!

Background and recording

Slanted and Enchanted was recorded at the home recording studio of Pavement drummer Gary Young on what was described as a "tight budget" over a span of ten days. The process was said to have been "relaxed."

Stephen Malkmus recorded playing a Fender Stratocaster, and Scott Kannberg recorded with a Fender Mustang and a Gibson SG. Kannberg played through a Fender Silverface Twin Reverb amplifier, and Malkmus played through a small boutique Epiphone amplifier that was borrowed from the father of one of his friends. They used ProCo TurboRat and Boss DS-1 distortion pedals.

Slanted and Enchanted was distributed to critics as early as 1991, months before its official release; the original distribution did not feature the entire band, as several members joined during its production. The recording sessions were split between South Makepeace Studios in Brooklyn, New York (recorded December 24, 1990) and Louder Than You Think Studios in Stockton, California (recorded January 13–20, 1991).

Music and lyrics

Slanted and Enchanted is noted for its "stripped down" sound and heavy use of distortion. Andy Price of Guitar.com described the album's sound as an "aural mess of dishevelled guitar noise, balanced by infectious hooks and a homemade aesthetic," and as a "combination of unkempt, dissonant chord structures, tangled, grubby riffs, tuneful, vibrant melodies and coolly delivered (but earnestly intelligent) lyrics." Erik Davis of Spin wrote, "the distortion doesn't come from a can, nor is it 'texture' or 'noise.' It's a living thing, snaking through the strumming guitars." The original Pavement EPs were recorded without the presence of bass guitar. Some tracks on Slanted and Enchanted, such as "Summer Babe", were recorded with bass, while others, such as "Fame Throwa", have detuned guitars substituting for bass guitar. Songs such as "Here" are said to be "entirely bass-free."

Malkmus began to explore alternate guitar tunings, including different variations of Open D and Open G, which have since been dubbed "slacker tunings" due to their appearance on the album. Malkmus explained, "We didn't have a bass guitar on the early recordings. So tuning down gave us a lower sound but also a fullness to the sound. That's where I started. Then I simplified even more by bringing my G string up to A. I did a lot of things like that." The tracks "In The Mouth a Desert", "Loretta's Scars" and "Jackals, False Grails: The Lonesome Era" are played in CGDGBE tuning. The tracks "Perfume-V", "Summer Babe" and "Conduit for Sale!" use DADABE tuning.

In addition to guitar distortion, feedback and noise, the album makes use of hooks that are consistent with those heard in pop songs. According to Price, "Though uninhibited experimentation was central to Pavement, the bubbling pop hooks that flowed throughout the record's run-time served to anchor the ears. The dissonant chords which shape the captivating 'In the Mouth a Desert' lead us into a fine example, as growling distortion hovers over the verse, snakey hooks periodically rise to have their moment in the sun, before receding into a wash of sound." According to Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic, "Listening to Slanted & Enchanted is like listening to a college radio station that you can barely tune in—melodies are interrupted by shards of white noise, only to have a simple hook pull everything back into focus." Davis assessed, "There's something like the interstellar space noise picked up on shortwave radios. Some songs start off dope, then get raw power, while others open like thunder and then slip down a velvety slide." The sounds of the guitars have been described as "fuzzy [and] noisy". The album's opening track "Summer Babe (Winter Version)" has been stylistically described as dream pop. Malkmus' vocals are described as "languid". Davis described the album's sound as consisting of "slapdash drums, bells, catchy choruses, sha-la-la-las, guitars played so loose and confident they're almost smiling at you." The album has been noted for its stream of consciousness lyrical style.