Brighten the Corners: Nicene Creedence Edition
by Pavement

Back in the 90's, Pavement released "Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain", critically acclaimed and widely loved, it instantly crowned them the kings indie rock. Pavement responded with "Wowee Zombie", brilliant yet inaccessible, described by many as 'a glorious mess', the message was clear, they didn't give a rat's bottom to what the public thought, they were in this to make music for themselves.The ensuing lukewarm response gave them what they wanted. In the aftermath, their penultimate album Brighten the Corners brought a more conventional and accessible, or at least the illusion of accessibility, back to their music.

12 years later "Brighten the Corners: Nicene Creedence Edition", is the re-release with 32 extra tracks, a gold mine of undiscovered hits, such as irresistibly catchy "Harness Your Hopes" as well as the whole shebang of radio sessions and live recordings. Alternate versions of songs allow the original sounds to expand without subjugating the rest of album to nostalgia. The re-imagining lets "Brighten the Corners" shine apart from it's more acknowledged siblings. Giving the most underrated album a more fulfilling end. While not all the tracks are gold, there are enough tracks here to please even the most nit-picky of Pavement completists. As time goes by, this release might slowly make its way into music's consciousness as a classic indie record.