Demolition Plot J-7

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Demolition Plot J-7
EP by
Pavement
ReleasedJune 1, 1990
RecordedOctober 16–17, 1989
StudioLouder Than You Think Studios (Stockton, California)
Genre
Length12:03
LabelDrag City
ProducerGary Young
Pavement chronology
Slay Tracks: 1933–1969
(1989) 		Demolition Plot J-7
(1990) 		Perfect Sound Forever
(1991)

Demolition Plot J-7 is the second EP by American

independent label Drag City, and its first release that was not self-issued. It is also the band's only release to feature drummer Jason Turner. Demolition Plot J-7 shared many of the same indie and punk rock influences of Pavement's 1989 debut Slay Tracks: 1933–1969, but also diversified the group's sound by incorporating keyboards
.

Many of the songs on Demolition J-7 were written while Scott Kannberg and Jason Turner were in their short-lived band, Pa. After Stephen Malkmus heard demos recorded by Pa, the songs turned into a Pavement project. The recording session for Demolition J-7 was more difficult than for Slay Tracks due to tension between producer Gary Young and Turner. The EP received favorable reception from critics and fans, and solidified the band's cult fanbase.

Background

Pavement had attained a degree of success within the underground music scene with its 1989 debut EP

independent label, Drag City.[3] At the time the members of Pavement anticipated no further releases beyond Slay Tracks,[4] and Kannberg initially expressed reluctance to sign to any label.[3] Kannberg later said "I started talking to [Koretzky] and in our conversations he said 'I'm starting this label. Do you want to do something for us?' I said, 'Well I don't know if we're even a band. Steve is off in Europe.' He said, "Well if you want to I'm up for it.'"[3]

While Malkmus was still abroad, Kannberg moved in with a friend and his roommate Jason Turner in Sacramento, California.[5] Turner and Kannberg formed a new band called Pa, with Turner on drums.[5] Kannberg said, "I didn't know if Pavement was going to do anything so I just said, 'Let's start another band.'" The duo frequently jammed, and considered a future release on Drag City.[5] Pa recorded a series of instrumental demos, including new songs "Two States", "Forklift", and "Collapse", at Young's Louder Than You Think studios during a trip to Stockton.[5] After Kannberg and Fawkes had returned to Sacramento, Malkmus visited and the group decided to turn the Pa songs into a Pavement project.[6] Malkmus wrote lyrics to "Forklift" and presented the band with "two or three other songs" he had previously written.[6]

Recording

Demolition Plot J-7 was, like Slay Tracks and the Pa demos, recorded by Gary Young at his Louder Than You Think studios in Stockton. The recording took place on October 16 and October 17, 1989. Malkmus was influenced by the rehearsal style of jazz musicians as significant to the EP's recording, saying "When we start recording, we're really focused on what we're doing. We know how it's going to sound in the studio. We don't have to worry if it's sounding good in the rehearsal space. We take those prescriptions from the great jazz people and applied them to our own framework."[7]

The addition of Turner to the band created tension with Young. Young had served as the primary drummer on Slay Tracks, with Malkmus and Kannberg drumming on a few songs. Young did not play any drums for the Demolition Plot J-7 sessions, and expressed jealousy towards Turner, openly mocking the new drummer. However, Turner ultimately only played drums on the EP's opening track "Forklift", and Malkmus and Kannberg performed the rest of the songs.[7]

Composition and lyrics

"Forklift"
"Forklift", the opening track of Demolition Plot J-7, features fuzz guitar effects like many of Pavement's early material, as well as
overdubbed electronic keyboard
in the chorus.
Problems playing this file? See media help.

Andrew Hill as two of his favorite records.[10] The EP is Pavement's first to incorporate keyboards
.

The first song on the album, "Forklift", features

overdubbed electronic keyboard sounds in the chorus. "Spizzle Trunk" is a punk-influenced track with "thrashy guitars", but it also includes "barroom Jerry Lee Lewis piano buried in the mix". The next two tracks, "Recorder Grot" and "Internal K-Dart", are both heavy and guitar-oriented songs. "Perfect Depth" is, according to Jovanovic, a "gloriously messy sonic assault", and "reflects a more considered Malkmus attempt at lyric crafting, even if they are nonsensical and almost impossible to hear".[7] The EP ends with "Recorder Grot (Rally)", a 21-second instrumental of guitar feedback
.

Release and reception

Between the release of Slay Tracks and the recording sessions for Demolition Plot J-7, Koretzky formed Drag City with Dan Osborn. The first release from the label was the Royal Trux single "Hero Zero", which sold well. Despite the new label's early financial struggles, Drag City used the profit from "Hero Zero" to press and release 1000 copies of Demolition Plot J-7.[11] Kannberg designed the cover of the EP, as he had done previously with Slay Tracks.[7]

Demolition Plot J-7 was met with favorable reviews upon its release, though most of these reviews were from underground music

Village Voice, gave the EP a two-star honorable mention, citing "Forklift" as a highlight.[12]

Demolition Plot J-7 was ranked as the fourth best EP of 1990 in the Village Voice

CNN.com wrote in a 1999 retrospective of the band's history that "it was with the release of the 1990 EP [Demolition Plot J-7] that Pavement secured a devoted following."[15] Village Voice writer Michaelangelo Matos noted Demolition Plot J-7 and its follow-up, the 1991 EP Perfect Sound Forever, as "epochal to ... sloppy early-'90s undergrads."[16]

Track listing

All tracks were written by Stephen Malkmus and Scott Kannberg.[17]

No.TitleLength
1."Forklift"3:27
2."Spizzle Trunk"1:23
3."Recorder Grot"2:18
4."Internal K-Dart"1:51
5."Perfect Depth"2:43
6."Recorder Grot (Rally)"0:21

Personnel

Pavement

  • Stephen Malkmus – lead vocals (tracks 1–5), lead and rhythm guitar (tracks 1–2, 4–5), keyboard (track 1), electric piano (track 2), percussion (track 1)
  • Scott Kannberg – lead and rhythm guitar (tracks 1–5), bass guitar (track 2), electric piano (track 2), synthesizer (track 4)
  • Gary Young – drums (tracks 2, 4–5)

Additional musicians

  • Jason Turner – drums (track 1)
  • Kelly Hensley – percussion (track 4)

References

  • Jovanovic, Rob (2004). Perfect Sound Forever: The Story of Pavement. (Boston)
    ISBN 1-932112-07-3
    .

Notes

  1. ^ Jovanovic (2004). p. 72
  2. ^ Jovanovic (2004). p. 67
  3. ^ a b c d Jovanovic (2004). p. 73
  4. ^ Jovanovic (2004). p. 61
  5. ^ a b c d Jovanovic (2004). p. 76
  6. ^ a b Jovanovic (2004). p. 77
  7. ^ a b c d e Jovanovic (2004). p. 78
  8. Allmusic
    . Retrieved on January 5, 2008.
  9. ^ Jovanovic (2004). p. 81
  10. ^ Jovanovic (2004). p. 129
  11. ^ Jovanovic (2004). p. 82
  12. Village Voice
    , February 26, 1991. Retrieved on January 2, 2007.
  13. Village Voice
    , March 5, 1991.
  14. The Boston Phoenix
    , July 17, 2000. Retrieved on January 6, 2007.
  15. CNN.com
    , June 21, 2007. Retrieved on October 22, 2007.
  16. Village Voice
    , March 30, 2005. Retrieved on January 6, 2007.
  17. ^ Charlton, Lauretta (August 3, 2015). "Pavement Guitarist Scott Kannberg Picks His 10 Favorite Pavement Songs". Vulture.

External links


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