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2. Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain (1994): Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain features a complete turnover in Pavement's rhythm section, as Mark Ibold relieved Kannberg of his bass duties while Steve West and Bob Nastanovich combined on percussion to replace Gary Young. It was their best seller by a sight five years ago, and for all I know still is. Three of the best-known cuts -- "Range Life," "Cut Your Hair," and "Gold Soundz" -- all touch at least tangentially on musicmaking itself (and were each made into rather terrible music videos). While their blithe jibes at the nature of "making it" (as well as potshots at contemporaries Smashing Pumpkins and Stone Temple Pilots) earned them a reputation as indie-rock gatekeepers, Crooked Rain displayed a band committing to honing its own chops. From the sly Laurel Canyon twang of "Range Life" to the Brubeck-poking instrumental "5-4=Unity" to the reverb'd epic "Fillmore Jive," this is the sophomore slumpbuster to beat all. Recorded in New York City, it's a suburban California record through and through: cynical, but too mellow to ever really rage. Jangle and hooks galore.