ALBUM REVIEW

PAVEMENT

“Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain”

Matador

* * * 1/2

If Kurt Cobain’s strangled rasp was the voice of upstart youth in ‘92, and Smashing Pumpkin Billy Corgan’s neurotic angel took over in ‘93, Stephen Malkmus’ wobbly croon is a real candidate as this year’s model.

Yearning and determined, vulnerable and comforting, challenging and reassuring, it conveys a warm skepticism instead of the withering sarcasm that would be the easy, obvious and far less interesting tone for Pavement’s exploration of rock ‘n’ roll’s failed promises. This band is wary, but it’s also compelled to repeatedly pulverize its doubts with blissful blasts of guitar-rock glory.

On this bracing second album, the players frame Malkmus’ vocals with music of constant invention, from soft meditations to full-out fireworks. Sometimes it’s so relaxed it nearly stops, then it’s suddenly taut and jumpy. There’s some of the Meat Puppets’ loopiness, a Stones/Burritos folk-country resonance, and a chirpy pop tunefulness--along with enough contrary abrasiveness to keep you from getting too comfortable with them.

New albums are rated on a scale of one star (poor), two stars (fair), three stars (good) and four stars (excellent).