Pavement's Gold Soundz is that rare thing from the world of great bands who routinely make great Bb-sides: a waste of time. "Gold Soundz," a touching, dynamic highlight from Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain is the only reason to give the release a listen. The three remaining tracks work more like song fragments or even fragments of fragments. The title song should be ingrained in the mind of any Pavement fan. Stephen Malkmus is in excellent form, providing the perfect mix of emotion and indifference with his stylish, flowing vocals. The rest of the band sounds as tight as any band of the era. Their bubbly enthusiasm and confidence are remarkable. "Gold Soundz" is an amazing song, extracted from an amazing album. Too bad the next three songs on the single weren't extracted or deleted from the band's discography altogether. "Kneeling Bus" is an annoying dirge, as it sounds like a high school band jamming in a most uncool manner. One would hope that it's an early song from the band's infancy, because it's inclusion here it a sad joke otherwise. Surely, the band or Matador weren't trying to trick fans into thinking it's a B-side worth hearing. Well, it's here, and it couldn't be a bigger waste of space. "Strings of Nashville" is a more realized stab at a song; it's just not very interesting. Some die-hard fans might find it to be weepy or mournful, but it lacks a pulse. The song doesn't sound genuine. It sounds like a band trying very hard to create an atmospheric ballad and failing in bland fashion. "Exit Theory" suggests that a worthwhile song may have been lost somewhere. The song begins seemingly midway through, with wailing, ringing guitars, pounding drums, and Malkmus spouting random phrases like a young Mark E. Smith. Lacking any kind of traditional song structure, the track exists for but a brief, fleeting moment. "Gold Soundz" shouldn't have been released alongside such weak B-sides. "Strings of Nashville" doesn't make a compelling enough argument to warrant tracking down the single. At a time when Pavement was mastering their sound, they were playing these little tricks on their fans and the industry, releasing singles with misspelled song titles and unworthy B-sides. Whether they were trying to maintain their indie credibility or simply out of ideas after crafting Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain, Gold Soundz is more rusty than golden. -- Tim DiGravina
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