I love Pavement. They are my favorite band, the greatest producers of music in the history of time. Take that, Beethoven! Also, Camper Van Beethoven! Of course, the things I love are not always perfect, and in fact rarely are. The Simpsons is the greatest show of all time, and there are episodes I hate. You ever see the one where Bart meets his exact double? Probably not, because it comes after season 11 or so, but I have watched every episode, and that one is utter shit. My other favorite musical artists have songs I do not enjoy. Pavement released dozens of songs, and I like all of them…except for one.
Now, for a fan of ‘90s indie rock, calling Slanted and Enchanted, Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain, and even Wowee Zowee all-killer, no-filler is no bold claim (though Wowee Zowee works better as a whole, but also “Brinx Job” fucking rips). Even prior to dropping their first full album, though, Pavement was a good band. Slay Tracks: 1933-1969 hits no false notes. Hell, even “No More Kings,” the group’s cover of a Schoolhouse Rock! song, is really good. I play it at my trivia nights sometimes.
Terror Twilight, the band’s final album, definitely feels like a group running on fumes. It’s comfortably their least-good album. Still good! “Spit on a Stranger” and “Major Leagues” are high-quality offerings. Yes, even with the band about to split up, Pavement came oh-so-close to finishing their run without a single song I dislike. In fact, had Terror Twilight ended one song sooner, they would have done it.
Yes, the one Pavement song I don’t like is the final song on their final album. That would be “Carrot Rope.” It is the one sour note in their career, the one blip on their discography. Pavement’s last hurrah is my least-favorite song by my favorite band.
I know the album wasn’t recorded sequentially. “Carrot Rope” is the final song on Terror Twilight because the band put it there. Pavement, and the record company, were clearly fans. “Carrot Rope” was a single! Although, they didn’t put it on Quarantine the Past, so maybe they have reservations about that.
Pavement could be jokey. They have some silly lyrics, but they feel knowing. “Carrot Rope” is, to me, the not-so-good version of “Stereo.” Back in the day, Pavement were paragons of slacker cool. “Carrot Rope” is, well, kinda goofy. A friend of mine who is not a Pavement fan likes “Carrot Rope.” He compared it to a Ween song. Well, perhaps fittingly, to me that it is a condemnation of its quality. I don’t dislike every Ween song. “What Deaner Was Talking About” is another song I throw on at trivia. Overall, though, I am not a Ween fan.
Even though Pavement lyrics are mostly built around words and phrases that sound good together, “Carrot Rope” still doesn’t “work” lyrically for me all that well. Sonically, it is also a misfire. Terror Twilight sounds different than any other Pavement release, but most of it lands at least pleasantly. Not “Carrot Rope,” though. Never “Carrot Rope.”
I still love Pavement, naturally, given that they have dozens of great songs and double-digit stone-cold classics. They rule. They also understand not enjoying the full catalog of a band you admire. After all, “Time After Time” was his least-favorite song.