Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain (L.A.'s Desert Origins)

Pavement's second record represents that brief interval in 1994 when this slouchy band got a good MTV buzz going with its sardonically catchy anti-style anthem, ''Cut Your Hair.'' Alas, buzzes don't last, and neither did Pavement. But Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain represents front-man Steve Malkmus' high-water mark as a snarky color commentator on plastic pop culture. And the extras — including demos, unreleased tracks, and a John Peel session — give mucho bang for the buck.