Pavement
USA, 1989–1999
California band led by Stephen Malkmus and Scott Kannberg, formed in Stockton in 1989 — the defining act of American 1990s lo-fi/indie rock. Built on cheap recordings, oblique wit and ragged melody (Slanted and Enchanted, 'Cut Your Hair'), they took The Fall's clatter and Swell Maps' DIY into a wry, hugely influential slacker sound.