Recorded on short notice and released to coincide with an Australian tour, Pacific Trim isn't much more than a stop-gap EP but Pavement shines in such small pleasures. Silver Jews, Steve Malkmus' second band, pulled out of a Memphis recording session and instead of wasting the studio time, Malkmus hauled Pavement in and recorded four songs. One song, "I Love Perth," only showed up on an Australian 7-inch -- the rest were on the EP. "Give It A Day" is a casual gem, with a nice, winding melody, while "Gangsters and Pranksters" is a nice, jokey throwaway. In fact, Pacific Trim isn't much more than a throwaway, but it is an extremely enjoyable one. -- Stephen Thomas Erlewine
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