Pavement collects ’90s greatness on one album

Pavement

Quarantine the Past: The Best of Pavement

Matador Records

Quarantine the Past: The Best of Pavement

Matador Records

Rocks Like: The Fall, Sonic Youth

Grade: A-

It’s been nearly a decade since the last release from Pavement, so fans of the underground band will be excited to hear about its newest release, Quarantine the Past: The Best of Pavement.

Don’t get too excited though, Quarantine the Past doesn’t feature any new material from the band. However, it does include standards from Pavement’s heyday in the ’90s.

Released in time to coincide with its reunion tour, Quarantine the Past is like a trip down memory road for Pavement, considered by some to be one of the most underrated bands of the ’90s. With songs such as “Cut Your Hair” and “Range Life,” the compilation is reminiscent of the alt-rock bands gone by. However, Pavement manages to gracefully straddle the line between your average grungy garage band and its own individual style that is both intentionally sloppy and clever. Pavement found its own sound by blending classic rock, grunge, punk and even balladry, resulting in a unique style.

While some might remember Pavement more for its members’ unconventional performance (i.e. drunken Lollapalooza performances or drummer Gary Young handing out cabbage to fans), Pavement has managed to remain musically relevant nearly 10 years after they last took the stage, and Quarantine the Past shows why.