This is, I think, the exact point at which Wowee Zowee goes off the rails, and goddamn if the rest of that album isn’t one of the most glorious, bloody, maddening crashes ever recorded. This is still my favorite Pavement record, which is not to say I think it’s their best – Slanted is more groundbreaking, Crooked is more cohesive – but I’m not sure they ever made anything as wild and magical as when they went to Memphis and just let it all hang out for this one. Half a Canyon, another classic on this record, is the unhinged Blues Explosion pants-dropper meets Achilles Last Stand epic that foreshadowed Malkmus’ solo jamminess, and it’s still one of my favorites by the band.