The cover artwork for The Real Feel, Pavement guitarist Spiral Stairs’ (aka Scott Kannberg) first solo record, is an immediate indication of the album’s corniness. A raccoon lies inert on the pavement, prescription bottles and pills scattered around his head, with the Spiral Stairs logo slapped like a bumper sticker along the bottom.
The kitschy image presages the album’s anemic songs, which are even less impressive than Kannberg’s previous post-Pavement work with Preston School of Industry. With Pavement, Kannberg and frontman Stephen Malkmus made a reputation using jangly guitars and ramshackle composition.
The band’s DIY motif was crystallized in fantastic songs like “Summer Babe,” from Slanted and Enchanted. Pavement’s aesthetic worked because it was original to its time: the early ’90s, the heyday of lo-fi, genuine indie rock that Pavement and groups like Yo La Tengo and Guided By Voices embodied.
But The Real Feel only confirms that Kannberg’s grip on the direction of his genre is slipping. On the opener “True Love,” pitchy guitar inflections are layered upon a backbeat of tired power chords, while Kannberg recites non-sequiturs like “Save it for a rainy day/dipthong got nothing to say.” What?
Later on, “The Real Feel” is 17 seconds of needless electronic conflagration (hopefully not an ironic rehashing of Abbey Road’s “Her Majesty”). The title track further demonstrates Kannberg’s estrangement from today’s music. It’s no longer cool to throw in random sound loops, especially in the midst of a straightforward rock album.
As a solo venture, The Real Feel is forgettable, especially considering Kannberg’s illustrious role as an indie rock founding father.
When Pavement starts their reunion tour in 2010, let’s hope these songs are left off of the set list.
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