A one-of-a-kind man with a one-of-a-kind music career deserves a one-of-a-kind documentary. And that movie deserves a one-of-a-kind soundtrack. The man in question is Gary Young, a true original in life and behind the drum kit, who, when he was approaching the ripe old age of 40, joined twenty-somethings Stephen Malkmus and Scott Kannberg (Spiral Stairs), thus becoming the original drummer as well as producer for soon-to-become indie royalty Pavement.
The movie about his wildly unlikely story is Louder Than You Think: A Lo-Fi History of Gary Young & Pavement, a SXSW winner with a psychedelic heart and special contributions from…puppets. So here’s the soundtrack, at last: selections from Gary Young’s singular, dexterous rock ’n’ roll life sitting next to original music composed by Edward W. Dahl (Jodorowsky’s Dune) and Noah Georgeson (Joanna Newsom, Devendra Banhart, Cate Le Bon).
The days of hardcore punk and post-punk are well represented by The Authorities, The Fall of Christianity (the Stockton rebels that struck a chord with a teenage Spiral Stairs), Hot Spit Dancers and CRLLL. So is Gary’s final brush with fame: the merry chaos of Hospital, his post-Pavement nearly-solo venture mostly remembered for improbable MTV favourite ‘Plantman’.
Pavement themselves make memorable appearances throughout the record with ultra-rare live tracks, as well as something quite special: a Gary Young-penned oddity, with Gary on vocals accompanied by his old friends Scott and Stephen, recorded for the movie shortly before Gary’s passing in August 2023.
Proudly resistant to genres and conventions, the Louder Than You Think soundtrack is as complex, fun, puzzling and ultimately lovable as the alcohol-fueled hippie who helped define the sound of all things lo-fi, indie rock and slacker in between headstands.
This Special Edition CD version features full-color artwork based on the original film graphics and IPR’s iconic packaging, including a 24-page booklet filled with rare photos, narratives by Jackson Griffith and Kelly Foley, lyrics, and a musicians list, all packaged in a custom jacket. Numbered edition with letterpress-printed glassine CD sleeve. (See our separate listings for the Lime Green Vinyl and Black Vinyl editions.)
1. Wink & A Nod – Edward W. Dahl
2. Achtung! – The Authorities
3. Feed ‘Em to the Lions – Fall of Christianity
4. Later Than You Think – Hot Spit Dancers
5. Sparkle / Bloom Padding – Edward W. Dahl
6. LSD – The Authorities
7. Orchard / Drama in the Clean Room / Malice in the Chalice – Noah Georgeson
8. No Sex – CRLLL
9. Distribution / Cushion of Sense – Edward W. Dahl
10. Glacial Victory – Noah Georgeson
11. Baptist Blacktick (Live May 19, 1992) – Pavement
12. Lions (Linden) (Live May 19, 1992) – Pavement
13. Summer Babe (Live May 19, 1992) – Pavement
14. Refrigerator Light / Laptop Tanktop – Gary Young & Noah Georgeson
15. Dread in a Dreadful Place – Noah Georgeson
16. Plant Man – Gary Young’s Hospital
17. Birds in Traffic – Gary Young’s Hospital
18. Please Be Happy (For Us) – Gary Young & Pavement
19. Appropriation Mix – Noah Georgeson
"Another stellar job from the folks at Independent Project, who are known for classy and ornate CD and LP issues... Three Pavement tracks are here as well, in all their shambolic early glory, recorded at the Cattle Club in Sacramento in 1992, for those who want the 'full monty' of Young's time in the band, frayed at the edges but having a heck of a time. It goes without saying that Pavement fans need this one in their collection."
—Christopher Laramee, Ugly Things
★★★★★ "The soundtrack to the documentary [is] a heavy-duty audio scrapbook documenting the Stockton underbelly Gary called home... The heart of the record is 'Please Be Happy (For Us),' a hummed scrap Gary improvised during filming shortly before his passing in 2023... Independent Project Records curated and packaged this with love, paying attention to the kind of fine detail where no stone is left unturned. The presentation harkens back to a time when opening a gatefold felt like stepping into an overtly ethereal world, time-travelling to other cranial dimensions where the art is as tactile as the noise. Open the portal and let the journeys begin. Hint: Bruce Licher (of Savage Republic) is the one behind the IPR packaging."
—Christopher D, Screen Point Blank
"Far more than a conventional soundtrack, it is a sprawling, affectionate, and occasionally chaotic portrait of one of indie rock’s most unconventional figures. Clocking in at a generous runtime and spanning rare archival recordings, live performances, and newly composed material, the collection mirrors the mercurial spirit of Gary Young himself: unpredictable, irreverent, and endlessly inventive... For Pavement devotees, the soundtrack is a treasure trove... The physical release exemplifies IPR’s meticulous aesthetic, in true Independent Project fashion, it is a tactile, visually engaging complement to the music; a physical object that embodies the label’s ethos as much as the collection of tracks it houses. Louder Than You Think succeeds because it honors its subject without compromise. It is as idiosyncratic, joyous, and occasionally bewildering as Gary Young himself, providing context, narrative, and sound for anyone seeking to understand the man behind Pavement’s early lo-fi sound. For longtime fans, it is a thrilling excavation of rare and unreleased material; for those encountering Young for the first time, it is an invitation into the untamed, hilarious, and surprisingly poignant world of a true original. In every sense, this soundtrack is a celebration of independence, eccentricity, and the messy brilliance of making music on one’s own terms."
—James Broscheid, The Big Takeover
"The soundtrack takes in the Stockton punk scene (bands such as The Authorities and Fall of Christianity), alongside early Pavement, spacy electro pieces made for the film by Edward Dahl and Noah Georgeson, and my favourite material, Young’s own indie freak-folky oddities with his Gary Young’s Hospital band, somewhere between Eugene Chadbourne and the lyrical innocence of Jonathan Richman. It’s a varied and intriguing celebration of a character I’d not heard of."
—Thomas H. Green, The Arts Desk
★★★★ "Featuring original music by Noah Georgeson and Edward W Dahl plus Pavement live tracks and original Young cuts, this is a groovy stroll through the mind of an influential head - and a trip down memory lane for this writer, who was given a string of spaghetti (because why not?) by Young at Pavement's first ever UK gig back in the day."
—Thomas Patterson, Shindig!
"Pulling all the various strands of Gary’s oeuvre into a cohesive whole, this collection does exactly what the title suggests and is both a summation and tantalising taster to the wonderful world of Gary Young and Pavement... Gary Young is the type of artist that the world may never see again, but this soundtrack, presented with the care and attention you’d expect from Independent Project Records, will provide the immortality his creativity demands."
—The Midland Rocks
"The extravagant Louder Than You Think: A Lo-Fi History of Gary Young and Pavement package — accompanied by witty, insightful liner notes, plus lyrics and other informative ephemera — traces his journey from feral hardcore punk and post-punk drifter to spirit animal for one of alternative-rock’s greatest messes and an unexpected post-Pavement revival with Gary Young’s Hospital... Maybe the most surprising track is 'Please Be Happy (For Us),' which reunited Young with Spiral Stairs and Stephen Malkmus as Young & Pavement, the three of them pleasantly lost in psychedelic bliss."
—Peter Lindblad, Ink19
"A seriously disorienting, never ever boring listening experience. I think Gary would have loved this record... The package is lush with a colorful spine band and a booklet insert with liner notes and lots of photos. The gatefold is beautifully designed with a terrific illustration of Gary and Pavement on the front and a lovely shot of the Gary puppet on the rear."
—Mike Segretto, Psychobabble
"Thirteen years older than frontman Stephen Malkmus, Gary definitely had a prehistory, though the tracks by his early groups The Authorities and Fall Of Christianity collected on this soundtrackto Jed Rosenberg's documentary reveal the late drummer actually rooted in hardcore and post-punk. These tracks pelt along with appropriate vim, accompanied by extracts from his wayward subsequent solo output... There are also tracks from a 1992 Pavement gig with Young as sticksman."
—Stevie Chick, MOJO
"Explores rare and previously unheard tracks from Gary Young and Pavement... This record truly encapsulates the thriving Stockton scene from the viewpoint of Young’s LSD-taking, alcohol-consuming, hippie existence. It’s actually quite surprising that Pavement was the only Stockton band that made their way into everyone’s record collection, ’cause clearly there was a lot of great music going on there in the ’80s and ’90s."
—Ton Haugen, Daily Vault
"Having seen the documentary, this typically lavishly packaged IPR release, replete with a booklet featuring liner notes and photos, serves as both a solid enough accompaniment to it as well as being a fitting testament to a man whose role in US indie music can only be viewed as important."
—Richard Johnson, Adverse Effect Magazine
"Gathers various relevant aural threads into a cohesive and pleasurable package... The album is a likeable and very listenable tribute."
—Joseph Neff, The Vinyl District
"Really works as a great mixtape, as a great listen... Beautifully put together... Beautifully pressed... Everything from Independent Project Records is just stunningly put together and it's one of those labels you could easily get into collecting everything."
—Norman Maslov, Mazzy's Music
