or better or worse, we here at Stylus, in all of our autocratic consumer-crit greed, are slaves to timeliness. A record over six months old is often discarded, deemed too old for publication, a relic in the internet age. That's why each week at Stylus, one writer takes a look at an album with the benefit of time. Whether it has been unjustly ignored, unfairly lauded, or misunderstood in some fundamental way, we aim with On Second Thought to provide a fresh look at albums that need it.

Over the course of the 1990s, few groups shifted their focus from album to album quite the way that Pavement did. From the lo-fi trappings of Slanted and Enchanted, to the fuzzy, classic rock bombast of Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain, to the contorted Eagles-punk of Wowee Zowee, no two albums sounded alike, yet all retained the enigmatic vibe that ultimately defines the band. 1997’s Brighten the Corners expanded upon the activist sprawl of Wowee, and deformed the group into a dry, arty jam band for the Volvo set. Released while the group’s members were in the throes of domestic life, the album, while rife with the perspicacious humor and time-worn idiosyncrasy that had come to be expected from Pavement, takes on a more relaxed, mature tone than other offerings, and indeed, the music follows suit. While the rather drastic change took many fans by surprise, Brighten the Corners stands as a provocative testament to the power of Pavement’s abstruse musical vision.

“Hey, listen to me, I’m on the stereo!” cries Malkmus, his voice steeped in deadpan, on the album’s first song, “Stereo”, and it’s hard not to take him seriously. The combination of Malkmus’ affable lyricism (“What about the voice of Geddy Lee / How did it get so high / I wonder if he speaks like an ordinary guy [I know him, and he does]”) and the imminently danceable guitar crunch blends smoother than chocolate and peanut butter, and makes for one of the group’s best songs. In true Pavement fashion, however, the triumph of “Stereo” is itself surpassed on the next track, the instant classic “Shady Lane.” Kicking off with a incessantly melodic riff that is alternately haunting and graceful, Malkmus sets one of his most affecting lyrics since Slanted’s “Here” against a jangling musical backdrop and pines for an escape from unexplained subjugation. “Freeze, don’t move / You’ve been chosen as an extra in the movie adaptation of the sequel to your life” he intones with startling sincerity. Such is the strength of both Malkmus, and Pavement as well: the ability to stimulate, excite, stun, and sustain the audience while never giving it all up.

After the dramatic languor of “Transport is Arranged” (check the serene mellotron), the album begins to falter. Scott Kannberg’s “Date W/ IKEA” is an enjoyable albeit facsimile rendering of Wowee Zowee’s magnificent “Kennel District.” Later on the album, Kannberg offers “Passat Dream,” which, while more novel and compelling, ultimately falls victim to a general lack of direction. For all its epic aspirations, “Type Slowly” feels more forced than majestic, and bears an overall likeness to “Old to Begin” and “We are Underused.” Of course the songs are all distinct in their own right, their underpinnings are uncharacteristically similar.

More than any other Pavement album, however, much of Brighten the Corners unfolds after numerous listens. At first glance, the slack poetry of “Blue Hawaiian” may seem gimmicky and “Embassy Row”’s invigorating rush hackneyed, yet after judicious examination, they come to envelop you with their sheer tenacity and wit. Malkmus’ smart-ass tendencies return to the fold for the penultimate track “Starlings in the Slipstream,” in which the sweeping grace attempted by previous songs is finally perfected. Over cooing harmonies, the band offers one last elegant gasp before the lengthy finale of “Fin.” The song commences with Spartan drumming that soon gives way to a veritable wall of guitars that recalls Spacemen 3 at their pensive best. The song is a truly fitting culmination of such a confusing, yet regal outing. Dogged by persistent break-up rumors, it is also possible that the band was merely baiting their detractors, adding fire to flames. Or maybe they just wanted to sound good in an amphitheater. To paraphrase Winnie The Pooh, you never can tell with Pavement.

Sporadic touring and various side projects (including drummer Steve West’s Marble Valley and a Malkmus solo show) would occupy the members of Pavement for the two years preceding their fifth (and ultimately final) album, leaving adequate time for listeners to wholly unravel Brighten the Corners, and speculate about what the band would do next. Who could ask for anything more?