10 Perfect Indie Albums Of The 1990s
7. Slanted And Enchanted - Pavement
Of all the ways that you could describe the indie rock scene, pop-friendly wasn't always the best method. It's right there in the name...this is the independent side of the music business and is meant to be the antithesis to the mainstream. Whether you like it or not though, sometimes the two will intersect in some of the strangest ways.
During the pre grunge years, Slanted and Enchanted by Pavement is one of the most overlooked classics of the genre. At a time when the jangle pop sounds of people like the Pixies was going over fairly well, the amount of hooks that Stephen Malkmus was able to mix in on here was a lot more than an indie band could probably muster. You can definitely hear some off the wall influences, but this is a guy who has clearly done his homework and has listened to the classics of the '60s to hone his craft too.
Even when the grunge wave knocked everything else off the map, it didn't stop this record from being a classic, becoming a favorite amongst grunge musicians. With just enough indie cred to back it up, this is the kind of tuneful care-free music that just happens to have an alternative edge to it. If you were to even start a conversation with a member of the alternative crowd back in the day, talking about Slanted and Enchanted alongside an album like Pearl Jam's Ten wasn't all that crazy.