Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain Hard Rock Darren Sylvester's "Off By Heart"

Darren Sylvester's "Off By Heart" is a meticulous homage to '80s adult pop

All 13 tracks were recorded by the band and mixed and mastered by man-about-town

Kanye West's 808s & Heartbreak is a stark exploration of heartbreak and isolation

who also contributes the album's sole guest feature

Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain Hard Rock Darren Sylvester's "Off By Heart"Crooked Rain strips away the hiss and fog of it's predecessor S&E, removing some of indie band Pavement's mystery yet retaining their fractured sound and spirit. It's filled with loose ends and ragged transitions, but compared to the fuzzy, dense Slanted , Crooked Rain is direct and immediately engaging it puts the band's casual melodicism, sprawling squalls of feedback, disheveled country rock, and Stephen Malkmus' deft wordplay in sharp relief.