Terror Twilight: Farewell Horizontal
cover art for Pavement’s Terror Twilight: Farewell Horizontal, courtesy of Pitchfork/Matador Records
by Charlotte Adams ‘25
In 1999, Pavement released their last album Terror Twilight. 23 years later, it has gotten an extended re-release featuring remasters, demos, and live versions of the original track list. The re-release demonstrates the evolution of indie music after the 90s as well as that of Pavement guitarist Stephen Malkmus’ musical career.
This last album represents the end of Pavement’s career, but also a turning point in the genre of 90s indie rock. The characterizations of the movement—eclecticism, independence, and free exploration—are not the same for contemporary indie. In the current music industry, it’s definitely harder to maintain a “do it yourself” attitude and strategy. Maybe that’s part of the nostalgia for iconic groups like Pavement.
Terror Twilight was a departure from Pavement’s discography at the time of its original release, and Farewell Horizontal, the titling of the re-release, highlights Stephen Malkmus’ deviation from the band’s patterns. The album perhaps served as a predictor of Malkmus’ future career post-Pavement. The original tracklist highlights the melodic and arrangemental differences from past work, especially “Platform Blues” and “The Hexx.” The general focus seemed to be on Malkmus’ guitar and compositional creativity as opposed to creating another “Cut Your Hair”.
Instead of focusing on the band’s imminent demise, this remastering seems like a way to honor indie groups of the past and introduce a new generation of listeners to their discographies. The remastering definitely makes some tracks more palatable (the 90s can certainly sound like the 90s) and the live versions add a vitality to a band that may seem distant to 21st-century audiences. While not every song was made for radio stations, even those of twenty years ago, there’s certainly pieces that feel iconic—especially the singles (“Spit on a Stranger,” for one). There’s plenty of avenues to venture further into Pavement’s deeper cuts.
The “extras” of the collection are incredibly rich with previously unreleased material. Not only are the live tracks and demos an exciting look into the band’s process and performance, they add the Pavement-ness back into an otherwise somewhat polished work. Some standouts are the “Cream of Gold'' intro and following demo, two tracks offering insight to the original song from Terror Twilight’s initial pressing. The song is arguably one of the more experimental pieces on the original release, including Pavement’s trademark bizarre lyrics and much more complex instrumental work, especially on bass and guitar. The inclusion of the intro is an exciting choice for fans, as it makes the opening slide and riff an iconic part of Pavement’s discography.
Terror Twilight represents a pending evolution of both the band and what it represented to indie rock fans in the late 90s. At the turn of the century, there was a loss of original 90s grunge, rock, and alt, but there was also the birth of 21st century versions of the genre. Social and political contexts change, as does art, so Pavement doesn’t exist in the same capacity today and that’s alright, because 2022 still has Farewell Horizontal along with new groups leading the way to a new indie sound. Canshaker Pi and Fontaines D.C. are great examples of what could be considered modern Malkmus-esque rock. Indie rock today also definitely has a poppier bent, and for those looking for Pavement’s pop progeny, consider Speedy Ortiz and Charly Bliss.
