Recorded on short notice and released to coincide with an Australian tour,
Pacific Trim isn't much more than a stopgap EP, but
Pavement shine in such small pleasures.
The Silver Jews,
Stephen Malkmus' second band, pulled out of a Memphis recording session, and instead of wasting the studio time,
Malkmus hauled
Pavement in and recorded four songs. One song, "I Love Perth," only showed up on an Australian 7" -- the rest were on the EP. "Give It a Day" is a casual gem, with a nice, winding melody, while "Gangsters and Pranksters" is a nice, jokey throwaway. In fact,
Pacific Trim isn't much more than a throwaway, but it is an extremely enjoyable one.
–
Stephen Thomas Erlewine, Rovi