6/10

As one of the quintessential bands of the 90s, Pavement certainly set themselves a powerful legacy. Despite not releasing any new material since 1999, the band have still managed to keep their place as one of the most revered and memorable bands of the slacker grunge movement. But now we get to hear what this now legendary outfit were like prior to the fame and glory, thanks to an extensive collection of early demos and session tracks, dubbed 'The Secret History, Vol. 1'.

From the start, it is clear to tell that these are their earlier recordings. The rough-around-the-edges sound and quality of the songs makes that obviously clear, but yet behind all the grit is that same charm the band brought to their later career. Clearly heavily infused by Pixies, Pavement's early sound was this broody yet playful direction that seemed to imitate all the famous early 90s bands in one go.

Obviously this is definitely one for hardcore Pavement fans as this is definitely not a release of their most convincing work. But what it is, is a snapshot of a band slowly trying to figure themselves out when they were still motivated by sheer love of their music.