Spiral Stairs - Medley Attack

 

Pavement in many ways feel like the moment when Rock became Post Modern. They were deeply self-referential from the off. Too cool for school. A band that couldn't stop punning and playing with their listener's expectations even if they'd wished to so. If Stephen Malkmus in particular seemed slightly too clever for his own good on many occasions, his main foil within the band, Scott Kannberg, (also answering to Spiral Stairs), always struck me as the laidback, alternative all-round nice guy.

So it's pleasing to see with his old band coming together for one last road trip that Kannberg has come out with probably his best solo album. Medley Attack makes smalltown American trust fund life in the slow lane seem like a damn good idea.

This is a highly feelgood alternative American guitar record. Kannburg plays his cards slightly straighter than Malkmus is wont to do. But there's plenty of smart wordplay and an essentially quirky, leftfield approach. He's clearly a man who's seen a lot of films, read a lot of books and listened to a lot of records and he uses that tellingly to deliver a record that's rooted in classic alternative songwriting and not so obviously indebted to The Fall or Captain Beefheart as Pavement often were.

Only nine tracks long, so falling slightly short of classic status, this is nevertheless something that Kannburg has every right to be very, very proud of. Apparently he's already decided that this will be the last solo record he'll make and it's a very fine way for him to sign off. Ah well, back to the day job.