?It?s all just a crock of shit,? Steve West drolly admits on ?Rocket Ship,? the second song on his band Marble Valley?s third album. That?s the same Steve West who gave Pavement a much more pro sound after replacing seeming lunatic Gary Young on drums. West doesn?t drum here, though, he sings; or rather, he intones. His flat baritone rolls slowly through these loping indie-rock numbers, creating a placid racket some have compared to Krautrock. (If Krautrock to you is a boring 4/4 beat over a lazy guitar drone, then OK, but you?re the one who?s gonna have to answer to the angry ghost of Michael Karoli, not me.) The overall Marble Valley sound winds up tuneful enough, but in a way no more memorable or mind-expanding than any number of 1990s Pavement-wake-riders not fortunate enough to have an actual Pavementer among their number (Sugartime? Vegetarian Meat? Glue?). The would-be chant-alongs and self-mythologizing in ?Fag & Ah Light? and ?Desert? probably sound pretty righteous if you?re downing dollar drafts while watching Marble Valley open for Malkmus or the Silver Jews (as indeed they have), but otherwise they fall flat. Other lyrical concerns are excessive alcohol consumption, rock festivals, and other indie staples sure to have amused the band when created, but less able to translate meaningfully to others. Droll turns to dull. A paper tiger takes a nap. 3/10 -- Sal Addays (28 August, 2006)