Note: This is the latest in a continuing series of the Vague Space top 40 favorite songs of all time.
Song: "Gold Soundz"
Artist: Pavement
Album: Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain
Year: 1994
Length: 2:41
Label: Matador Records
Rating: 10 (out of 10) on Pitchfork
This album reached my top 5 of all-time on my list a couple years ago, while Pitchfork put it at #8 of the 1990s. Rolling Stone ranked it at #210 of all-time in a 2003 ranking of their top 500, but Rolling Stone sucks.
From Pitchfork's review of the 2004 re-release of the album,
Pavement's sophomore outing does not contain 12 perfect songs but it is
close to a perfect album. Each of the best half-dozen--
"Silence Kit", "Elevate Me Later", "Cut Your Hair", "Unfair", "Gold
Soundz", and "Range Life"-- contain Malkmus' catchy and highly
unusual melodies ("Silence Kit" cribs from Buddy Holly, but even that's
an odd gesture) and would be career highlights for most rock
bands.
"Gold Soundz" is my favorite of those amazing six tracks (I'd add "Fillmore Jive" as another amazing one) and can currently be heard anytime anyone calls my cell phone. woo hoo!
Go back to those gold soundz
And keep my advent to your self
Because it's nothing I don't like
Is it a crisis or a boring change?
When its central, so essential,
It has a nice ring when you laugh
At the low life opinions
And they're coming to the chorus now...
Keep my address to yourself 'cause we need secrets
We need secrets crets crets crets crets crets back right now
Because I never wanna make you feel
That you're social
Never ignorant soul
Believe in what you wanna do
And do you think that is a major flaw
When they rise up in the falling rain
And if you stay around with your knuckles ground down
The trial's over, weapons found
Keep my address to myself because it's secret
Cuz its secret cret cret cret [etc.]... back right now
So drunk in the August sun
And you're the kind of girl I like
Because you're empty and I'm empty
And you can never quarantine the past
Did you remember in December
That I won't eat you when I'm gone
And if I go there, I won't stay there
Because I'm sitting here too long
I've been sitting here too long
And I've been wasted
Advocating that word for the last word
Last words come up all you've got to waste
Posted by: dcbxom | September 21, 2007 at 11:14 PM
Well said, dcbxom.
Posted by: sid seizure | September 22, 2007 at 10:59 PM
Why are there no African-American groups in this list? Are you saying black people don't make good music?
Posted by: Pandora | May 13, 2011 at 05:44 AM