Portal:Alternative music/Selected albums/17
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Slay Tracks (1933-1969) is the debut extended play by the American indie rock band Pavement. Pavement, then consisting of founding members Stephen Malkmus (guitar, vocals) and Scott Kannberg (guitar), recorded Slay Tracks with producer and future member Gary Young (drums) during a four hour session. The EP was released as a 7" vinyl record on the band's own record label Treble Kicker in 1989. The music in Slay Tracks is influenced by indie and punk rock bands, including Swell Maps and The Fall, and many of the lyrics are inspired by life in the band's hometown of Stockton, California.
Although only 1000 copies of Slay Tracks were pressed, the EP became an underground hit, largely due to a cover of its second track, "Box Elder", by English band The Wedding Present. It was met with generally positive reviews from critics, though most of its initial reviews were from independently produced zines. The songs on Slay Tracks would later appear on the 1993 compilation Westing (By Musket & Sextant), reaching a wider audience than the EP's limited initial release. The release of Slay Tracks was significant to Pavement's signing to Drag City Records, and later to Matador Records.
