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Pavement, I dont get it.

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Mobius_Logic:
theres a good chance thats the case, like I just am so used to hearing their imitators, that they just dont seem special.

schimmy:
Only album I've got of theirs is Slanted and Enchanted. At first, I found the album to be a rather boring Nirvana (of whom I'm no great fan) rip-off. But I recently listened to the album a whole bunch, and read the lyrics to the songs while listening, and it's been a revelation. They grew on me very quickly, and now listening to them, they are exactly as kcjnbl said, and I love them for it.;

space_oddity:
For me, Pavement is wonderful because the band manages to write simple pop songs but maintain the scrawly guitars and indirect, imagery-heavy lyricism of indie snob fame. It's a gorgeous balance, but one really needs to shuttle back and forth between Slanted and CRCR to get the complete feel of it.
Also, I love Pavement (and Galaxie 500 and Guided by Voices, for that matter) because their songs sound so epic without being 13 minutes long or using string sections and mellotrons. "Summer Babe" is as heartrending and powerful a song I have ever encountered, and it does so without flashy solos, Robert Plant-esque warbling, or obvious sentimentality. The song is incredible because of the gorgeous fuzziness of the guitar, the brilliant and aching bass line, and SM's usual bewitchingly vague lyrics. Somehow, that appeals to me in a way that "Stairway to Heaven" doesn't.
Maybe that's the whole point of indie rock--to appeal to you in an odd, unfamiliar, but still addictive way. No one does that better than Pavement in my book.

charlesegabel:
There isn't really much to be getting with Pavement, which is really part of the point. They're just nice pop/rock songs. Wowee Zowee showcases some serious talent though.

Slick:
Maybe it had something to do with the place Pavement was in their lives?
Pavement isn't high on my list of things to listen to, but there is always the chance they were important when the artists were developing. I would easily put pre-warning green day as one of my influences, but I've found people who are in their mid-teens now and consider that stuff just kind of boring and bland.

Maybe it was because they pioneered the genre?
I'm not familiar with their place in 'indie' history, but they might have invented a lot of the style that is used by modern 'indie' bands. If you listen to Hendrix and compare him to some modern technical masters, he's easily been surpassed in skill. That doesn't change the fact that he was on the forefront of modern music, that doesn't change the fact that he was influential to all those guitarists that are 'better' than him.

Maybe I'm a cynic and it's easy for the pretentious to like pavement?
Pavement has a bunch of good, enjoyable rock songs, with the odd 'artsy' hooks. You've probably noticed a bit of dissonance or odd parts of the song that don't seem to flow well. At first, this will throw you off, but it does grow on you and after a few listens through, they get a lot better. But this is enough to dissuade the casual 'mainstream' ear, so Pavement becomes a great rock band that those 'pop fans' will never really get interested in.

For the record, I'm very tongue-in-cheek when I'm referring to groups/styles/genre. I don't think any of that stuff really exist, but that's irrelevant to Pavement, and it let's me simplify things.

EDIT: Shoot, I just re-listened to 'Brighten the Corners' for the first time in a year or more. I'm totally in love with pavement now.

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