Day After Day is an ambitious attempt to write about a song every day in 2024 (starting on Jan. 4).
Summer Babe (Winter Version) (1992)
The early '90s were a fun time for fans of so-called alternative rock. The AOR/arena rock/hair metal sound was getting stale. Meanwhile, underground bands were starting to get more attention. Indie labels had been releasing interesting music for quite a while, but there was a wider audience for it now.
In 1992, Matador Records took a chance on an unknown post-punk act from Stockton, California called Pavement. They had released three EPs in the previous few years before Slanted and Enchanted came out in April '92.
Led by the snarky Stephen Malkmus, the band eschewed traditional pop song structures, drawing inspiration instead from bands like The Fall (something that band's leader Mark E. Smith was not thrilled about) and Swell Maps. They played noise rock, but did so with a shambolic swagger that perfectly captured the Gen X slacker vibe that was starting to take hold.
The lead single, "Summer Babe (Winter Version)" was actually released the previous summer on Drag City as "Summer Babe"; a different mix opened Slanted and Enchanted. Pavement didn't write love songs, per se, but this one has Malkmus singing about one particular woman who he's interested in.
"My eyes stick to all the shiny robes/She wear on the protein delta strip/In an abandoned house, but I will wait there/I'll be waitin' forever."
Malkmus and Scott "Spiral Stairs" Kannberg provide lo-fi, rumbling guitars. At this point, the band was a trio, with Gary Young on drums. They would add bassist Mark Ibold and percussionist Bob Nastanovich when they started playing live shows.
"Minerals, ice deposit daily/Drop off the first shiny robe/I've got a lot of things I want to sell, but/Not here babe/You took 'em all."
He waits and waits and waits before proclaiming her his summer babe.
Slanted and Enchanted got critical raves and the band became proclaimed indie darlings. Their 1994 follow-up Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain even featured a radio and MTV hit in "Cut Your Hair." They released three more fine albums before calling it quits in 2000. Malkmus went on to a solid solo career. The band has reunited a few times to tour, including in 2022-23.
I missed them when Slanted and Enchanted first came out, but saw them on the Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain tour at the old Venus de Milo club on Lansdowne Street. I also saw Pavement on their 1997 and 1999 tours, and have seen Malkmus solo a few times, but I haven't seen them on any of their reunion dates.
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