Terror Twilight

Title

Pavement percussionist Bob Nastanovich came up with the title, and has described its meaning in an interview: "Terror Twilight is the short span between sunset and dusk; this is considered the most dangerous time in traffic, because half of the people switch on the headlights, and the other half doesn't. It's when most accidents happen."

Nastanovich explained that his original idea for the title of the album was Farewell Horizontal but that he eventually dismissed the idea because "there was no way I was going to be on the Farewell Horizontal tour for the next year."

Track listing

All tracks written by Stephen Malkmus.

Initial UK copies of the album came with a bonus CD-ROM which contained the whole album with a brief track-by-track commentary; film of Stephen Malkmus writing this - and calling for the help of his fellow bandmembers in doing so - can be seen on the Slow Century DVD. The disc also contained the videos for "Stereo" and "Shady Lane" from their previous album Brighten the Corners and a home movie segment containing some footage also seen in the Slow Century DVD.

Many of the tracks on Terror Twilight were previewed at a pair of solo Stephen Malkmus shows in California on August 12–13, 1998. These included "Ann Don't Cry," "Carrot Rope," "Spit On A Stranger," "Platform Blues," "You Are The Light," "Folk Jam," and two others that remain unreleased to this day ("Civilized Satanist," which utilized a Moby Grape sample, and "Dot Days").

At these shows, Malkmus played electric guitar and sang along with home demo recordings of the songs. The style of the recordings was similar to those found on the compilation At Home With the Groovebox ("Robyn Turns 26" and "Watch Out!"), the B-sides of the Spit on a Stranger single ("Rooftop Gambler" and "The Porpoise And The Hand Grenade"), and the demo version of "Major Leagues" found on the Major Leagues EP.

"The Hexx" was a quieter, slowed-down version of a discordant jam that was played extensively on the Brighten The Corners tour. Pavement had recorded a faster, louder version during the Brighten sessions—in fact, at one point "The Hexx" was to have been the opening track on that album. This recording was edited, retitled "...And Then" and issued as the vinyl B-side to Spit on a Stranger. The original, full-length recording can be found on Brighten The Corners: Nicene Creedence Edition. The single edit also appears among eight bonus tracks on the vinyl incarnation of the Creedence edition.

The original cover art for Terror Twilight lists the final track, "Carrot Rope," as "...And Carrot Rope." This alternate song title was revived for the 2010 Record Store Day version of Quarantine the Past, even though the song was the fifth track on side one.

In popular culture

Singles/EPs

Personnel