Brighten the Corners

Brighten the Corners is the fourth studio album by American indie rock band Pavement, released on February 11, 1997 by Matador Records. The album received very positive reviews from critics.

Brighten the Corners
Studio album by Pavement
Released	February 11, 1997
Recorded	July 15–30, 1996
Studio	Drive-In (Winston-Salem, North Carolina)[1]
Genre	Indie rock
Length	46:10
Label	Matador
Producer	Pavement Bryce Goggin Mitch Easter
Pavement chronology
Pacific Trim (1996) Brighten the Corners (1997) Shady Lane (1997)
Singles from Brighten the Corners
"Stereo" Released: January 27, 1997 "Shady Lane" Released: June 10, 1997

Background and recording

Brighten the Corners was recorded at Mitch Easter's Drive-In Studio in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. According to singer and guitarist Stephen Malkmus, it was either Matador Records or Mary Timony from Helium who suggested that the band should record the album there.^[2]

Although Brighten the Corners was mostly produced by Pavement and Bryce Goggin, Easter worked with the band for roughly a week when Goggin left the studio.^[3]

The recording sessions involved extensive editing, and the band would often record several versions of the same song before deciding on a final take. The vocals were then recorded in New York separately.^[3]

The album title was in reference to "Brighten The Corner Where You Are", a gospel hymn written by Homer Rodeheaver in the early 1900s.^[4]

Release

Brighten the Corners was released on February 11, 1997, by Matador Records.^[5] In 2008, Matador released Brighten the Corners: Nicene Creedence Edition, a compilation containing Brighten the Corners in its entirety, as well as B-sides and other rarities from the same era.^{[citation needed]}

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[6]
Chicago Tribune	[7]
Christgau's Consumer Guide	A[8]
Entertainment Weekly	B[9]
Los Angeles Times	[10]
NME	6/10[11]
Pitchfork	8.6/10[12]
Rolling Stone	[13]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide	[14]
Spin	8/10[15]

Brighten the Corners received very positive reviews from critics and was ranked No. 10 in The Village Voice's 1997 Pazz & Jop critics' poll.^[16] In the poll's accompanying essay, Robert Christgau referred to the album as one of his "favorite albums of the year, easy", alongside those by Yo La Tengo, Sleater-Kinney, and Arto Lindsay.^[17]

Track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Stereo"		3:07
2.	"Shady Lane / J vs. S"		3:50
3.	"Transport Is Arranged"		3:52
4.	"Date w/ IKEA"	Scott Kannberg	2:39
5.	"Old to Begin"		3:22
6.	"Type Slowly"		5:20
7.	"Embassy Row"		3:51
8.	"Blue Hawaiian"		3:33
9.	"We Are Underused"		4:12
10.	"Passat Dream"	Kannberg	3:51
11.	"Starlings of the Slipstream"		3:08
12.	"Fin" (Listed as "Infinite Spark" on non-US pressings)		5:24
Total length:			46:10

All tracks are written by Stephen Malkmus, except where noted

Personnel

Pavement

• Stephen Malkmus – lead vocals, guitar
• Bob Nastanovich – percussion, backing vocals
• Scott Kannberg – lead vocals (tracks 4, 10), backing vocals, guitar
• Steve West – drums, percussion
• Mark Ibold – bass guitar

Technical

• Mitch Easter – engineer, mixing
• Bryce Goggin – engineer, mixing

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (1997)	Peak position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[18]	64
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[19]	50
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[20]	38
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[21]	56
UK Albums (OCC)[22]	27
US Billboard 200[23]	70

Singles

Title	Year	Peak position
		UK [24]
"Stereo"	1997	48
"Shady Lane"		40