Brighten the Corners

Brighten the Corners is the fourth studio album by American indie rock band Pavement, released on February 11, 1997, by Matador Records. The album received very positive reviews from critics.

Brighten the Corners
Studio album by
Pavement
ReleasedFebruary 11, 1997
RecordedJuly 15–30, 1996
StudioDrive-In (Winston-Salem, North Carolina)[1]
GenreIndie rock
Length46:10
LabelMatador
Producer
Pavement chronology
Pacific Trim
(1996)		 Brighten the Corners
(1997)		 Shady Lane
(1997)
Singles from Brighten the Corners
  1. "Stereo"
    Released: January 27, 1997
  2. "Shady Lane"
    Released: June 10, 1997

Background

Brighten the Corners was recorded at Mitch Easter's Drive-In Studio in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. According to singer and guitarist Stephen Malkmus, it was either Matador Records or Mary Timony from Helium who suggested that the band should record the album there.[2]

Recording

Although Brighten the Corners was mostly produced by Pavement and Bryce Goggin, Easter worked with the band for roughly a week when Goggin left the studio.[3]

The recording sessions involved a lot of editing, and the band would often record several versions of the same song before deciding on a final take. The vocals were then recorded in New York separately.[3]

The album title was in reference to "Brighten The Corner Where You Are", a gospel hymn written by Homer Rodeheaver in the early 1900s.[4]

Release

Brighten the Corners was released on February 11, 1997, by Matador Records.[5] In 2008, Matador released Brighten the Corners: Nicene Creedence Edition, a compilation containing Brighten the Corners in its entirety, as well as B-sides and other rarities from the same era.

Critical reception
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[6]
Chicago Tribune[7]
Christgau's Consumer GuideA[8]
Entertainment WeeklyB[9]
Los Angeles Times[10]
NME6/10[11]
Pitchfork8.6/10[12]
Rolling Stone[13]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[14]
Spin8/10[15]

Brighten the Corners received very positive reviews from critics and was ranked No. 10 in The Village Voice's 1997 Pazz & Jop critics' poll.[16] In the poll's accompanying essay, Robert Christgau referred to the album as one of his "favorite albums of the year, easy", alongside those by Yo La Tengo, Sleater-Kinney, and Arto Lindsay.[17]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Stephen Malkmus, except where noted

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Stereo" 3:07
2."Shady Lane / J vs. S" 3:50
3."Transport Is Arranged" 3:52
4."Date w/ IKEA"Scott Kannberg2:39
5."Old to Begin" 3:22
6."Type Slowly" 5:20
7."Embassy Row" 3:51
8."Blue Hawaiian" 3:33
9."We Are Underused" 4:12
10."Passat Dream"Kannberg3:51
11."Starlings of the Slipstream" 3:08
12."Fin" (Listed as "Infinite Spark" on non-US pressings) 5:24
Total length:46:10

Personnel

Pavement

Technical

Charts

Weekly charts
Chart (1997) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[18] 64
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[19] 50
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[20] 38
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[21] 56
UK Albums (OCC)[22] 27
US Billboard 200[23] 70

Singles
Title Year Peak position
UK
[24]
"Stereo" 1997 48
"Shady Lane" 40

References
  1. name="sleeve">"Pavement – Brighten the Corners". Discogs. February 1997. Retrieved 3 September 2011.
  2. Vozick-Levinson, Simon (15 May 2018). "Stephen Malkmus: My Life in 15 Songs". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 18 December 2020. Retrieved 29 July 2021.
  3. "Q+A: Mitch Easter on Brighten the Corners". The Fader. 10 December 2008. Archived from the original on 26 February 2021. Retrieved 13 August 2021.
  4. "54. Pavement Part 5: "Brighten The Twilight" (1997-1998) with Pavement's Bob Nastanovich". Discograffiti. 2 October 2022.
  5. "Pavement". Matador Records. Archived from the original on 23 July 2021. Retrieved 8 August 2021.
  6. Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Brighten the Corners – Pavement". AllMusic. Retrieved 3 September 2011.
  7. Kot, Greg (14 February 1997). "Pavement: Brighten the Corners (Matador)". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 14 June 2016.
  8. Christgau, Robert (2000). "Pavement: Brighten the Corners". Christgau's Consumer Guide: Albums of the '90s. Macmillan Publishers. ISBN 0-312-24560-2. Retrieved 14 June 2016.
  9. Browne, David (21 February 1997). "Brighten the Corners". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on 6 November 2016. Retrieved 14 June 2016.
  10. Cromelin, Richard (9 February 1997). "Pavement 'Brighten the Corners,' Matador/Capitol". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 10 August 2016. Retrieved 14 June 2016.
  11. Moody, Paul (8 February 1997). "Pavement – Brighten The Corners". NME. Archived from the original on 12 October 2000. Retrieved 14 June 2016.
  12. Schreiber, Ryan. "Pavement: Brighten the Corners". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on 24 December 2001. Retrieved 3 September 2011.
  13. Brackett, Nathan (20 February 1997). "Pavement: Brighten the Corners". Rolling Stone. p. 68.
  14. Sheffield, Rob (2004). "Pavement". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. pp. 624–25. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
  15. Sutton, Terri (March 1997). "Pavement: Brighten the Corners". Spin. Vol. 12, no. 12. p. 99. Retrieved 14 June 2016.
  16. "The 1997 Pazz & Jop Critics Poll". The Village Voice. 28 February 1995. Archived from the original on 6 August 2021. Retrieved 12 August 2021.
  17. Christgau, Robert (24 February 1998). "The Year of No Next Big Thing". The Village Voice. Archived from the original on 25 June 2002. Retrieved 3 August 2012.
  18. Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010 (PDF ed.). Mt Martha, Victoria, Australia: Moonlight Publishing. p. 214.
  19. "Pavement – Brighten The Corners". charts.nz. Hung Medien. Retrieved 26 June 2012.
  20. "Pavement – Brighten The Corners". norwegiancharts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved 26 June 2012.
  21. "Pavement – Brighten The Corners". swedishcharts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved 26 June 2012.
  22. "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved September 25, 2020.
  23. "Pavement Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved 25 September 2020.
  24. "Chart Log UK: Rodney P. – The Pussycat Dolls". zobbel.de. Retrieved 25 September 2020.
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