Wikipedia:Today's featured article/January 17, 2014

Slay Tracks (1933–1969) is the debut extended play (EP) by the American indie rock band Pavement. The group, then consisting of founding members Stephen Malkmus (pictured in 2005) and Scott Kannberg, recorded Slay Tracks with producer and future member Gary Young during a four-hour session on January 17, 1989. The EP was released as a 7" vinyl record on the band's own record label Treble Kicker. 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 were pressed, the EP became an underground hit. Most of its initial reviews were from independently produced zines, and it met with generally positive reactions. The songs on Slay Tracks would later appear on the 1993 compilation Westing (By Musket and 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, and later to Matador Records. All of the songs from it were played live throughout Pavement's history. (Full article...)

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