jimmygeekrock
This is an easy picture to critique. It's not well shot. It's not well edited. And on DVD, it's difficult to navigate the menu.That said, this is essential viewing for anyone interested in alternative rock. Pavement was the quintessential slacker band, bar none. SLOW CENTURY captures them in all their unadorned glory, boldly sacrificing tuning and practice for their special brand of magic. The live shows are somewhat chaotic as a result, but anyone familiar with the band would expect no less.Of course, you also get a collection of Pavement music videos, which offer unpretentious fun, start to finish.In an era of antiseptic rock and American Idol posturing, these guys are the real thing.
ChadGtr78
If you are a pavement fan, this is a 10. if not, probably a 4 or 5. This DVD contains footage that you will not see anywhere else but on this disc. From the early days to the present, Pavement stands as the most influential and most talented band of the '90s. The band most people hate for their lackadaisical approach to music in general. I will not argue their greatness on this board, but I will quote what several of the best jazz musicians of the day have already said. "Pavement is the finest rock band of the last 25 years." That last punctuation mark was a period. Great DVD. Only fans will enjoy. Give SM his due.
ethan austin eller
Slow Century is about Pavement. You should probably own every album(or its equivalent in EPs and imports or whatever) before attempting to successfully appreciate Slow Century. As a documentary intended for hardcore Pavement fans, I couldn't imagine anyone other than a fan reading this and consequently shelling out twenty-five to take it home anyway. And so I am going to highly recommend it. The documentary creates a pitch perfect representation of everything i remember about the early nineties indie darlings. Lance Bangs, spawn of Spike Jonze, who busies himself almost exclusively with rockumentaries like this one, works efficiently, compiling the little footage of the band (the surviving recordings are akin to the era, mostly low-fi and awkwardly shot). The resulting material is merely filtered through with maximum production and minimal narration, relying mostly on band member anecdotes and interviews. An altogether solid documentary, Slow Century brings back the indie scene nostalgia and ironic, slacker sincerity unique to Pavement. The segments with Malkmus in a sauna discussing Gary Young's propensity to throw things, are by themselves fascinating to any fan. The DVD version is two discs; the documentary, all thirteen music videos (some with alternate-versions) and selected footage of two live performances (Manchester and Seattle).
Frank Longley
I love Pavement. They are absolutely one of my favorite bands. This DVD, though, is just simply awful. The videos are good to have, and for that I'm grateful. But the documentary is so boring and shot so poorly. The live concert sound is terrible and doesn't do Pavement justice at all.I'm also not a big fan of back-in-the-day documentaries, I guess. I like seeing things as they unfold, not watch people reminisce about the past. This band, more than any other, deserves better.Rate this TEN for Pavement, and MINUS ONE for the documentary. Hence, a four.
AD
