This came out in 1999 – or at least that’s when I got it. Here’s what I said about it back then (with some minor editing):
Call it Still Enchanted, But Less Slanted.
This fifth album in a decade (not counting collections) finds the ultimate alt-everything outfit Pavement still quirky after all these years. As usual, Terror Twilight’s 11 introspective indie-rock daydreams meander through genres, keys and tempi like a college kid surfing MP3 files. And Stephen Malkmus’ thoughtfully abstract lyrics (“There’s blood in the butter, the kitchens are closed”) and detached voice are freaky as ever. But while Pavement continue to march to their own crooked, crooked beat, this time they’ve all learned the same steps — unlike their raggedly glorious earlier work, everything here is in tune, in key and in time. Heck, one song, The Hexx, has a guitar solo that wouldn’t be out of place on The Rolling Stones’ Sticky Fingers. Still, while they’ve brightened the corners a bit, Terror Twilight still has the power to make you say wowee zowee.
