Editing Wowee Zowee (section)

==Critical reception==
{{Album ratings
| subtitle = Contemporary reviews
| rev1 = ''[[Chicago Tribune]]''
| rev1score = {{Rating|2.5|4}}<ref name="CT review"/>
| rev2 = ''[[The Guardian]]''
| rev2score = {{Rating|1|4}}<ref name="Guardian review"/>
| rev3 = ''[[Los Angeles Times]]''
| rev3score = {{Rating|2.5|4}}<ref name="LAT review"/>
| rev4 = ''[[Q (magazine)|Q]]''
| rev4score = {{Rating|3|5}}<ref name="Q review"/>
| rev5 = ''[[Rolling Stone]]''
| rev5score = {{Rating|2.5|5}}<ref name="RS review"/>
| rev6 = ''[[Select (magazine)|Select]]''
| rev6score = 4/5<ref name="Select review"/>
| rev7 = ''[[Spin (magazine)|Spin]]''
| rev7score = 7/10<ref name="Spin review"/>
| rev8 = ''[[The Village Voice]]''
| rev8score = A<ref name="Christgau review"/>
}}

Upon release, ''Wowee Zowee'' was met with mixed reviews from critics.<ref name="RS Masterpiece"/> ''[[Rolling Stone]]'' editor [[Mark Kemp]] described it as a "scattered and sloppy" effort with "half-baked" performances by Malkmus and Kannberg.<ref name="RS review"/> He also speculated that the relative success of ''Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain'' was a reason for the album's eclectic nature, claiming that Pavement were afraid of success.<ref name="RS review"/> Similarly, the ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'' editor [[Lorraine Ali]] called ''Wowee Zowee'' "a sloppy effort, even in Pavement terms", and concluded that the album "comes off lazy and unfinished, never attempting to reach out or connect as previous albums did".<ref name="LAT review"/> Kevin McKeough of the ''[[Chicago Tribune]]'' felt that the album was inconsistent, highlighting the songs "Rattled by the Rush", "Grounded", and "Kennel District" as "thrilling pleasures", but criticized Malkmus' "insufferably mannered vocals" on "Brinx Job", his "tiresome [[grunge]] rant" on "Serpentine Pad", and his "gratuitous screaming" at the end of "Half a Canyon".<ref name="CT review"/>

In a very negative review, Caroline Sullivan of ''[[The Guardian]]'' found ''Wowee Zowee'' difficult to enjoy, stating that it "probably helps to be a 15-year-old boy to appreciate Pavement", and believed the band does not "release albums so much as in-jokes and their fourth continues the tradition".<ref name="Guardian review"/> She added that Malkmus' "monotone occasionally gives way to a pained little yips" and Kannberg "sometimes hits on a lifting melody, but mostly he sounds as confused as his colleagues".<ref name="Guardian review"/> ''[[Spin (magazine)|Spin]]'' writer Eric Weisbard reacted with muted praise, noting the album's "impressively distinct range of sounds and moods", while criticizing Malkmus' unconvincing vocal delivery.<ref name="Spin review"/> He concluded that the album is best enjoyed "at a casual low volume, with little attention paid to the effort and details".<ref name="Spin review"/>

Other critics were more positive. Writing for ''[[CMJ New Music Monthly]]'', editor Michael Vazquez considered ''Wowee Zowee'' a solid and ambitious album, praising its adventurous style and Malkmus' rich lyricism, but acknowledged that several listens are required for appreciation.<ref name="CMJ review"/> ''[[Select (magazine)|Select]]'' editor Roy Wilkinson felt that the album has a lot of Pavement's "lazy elegance" and compared the "elegiac sweeps" of "We Dance" to [[David Bowie]]'s 1971 album ''[[Hunky Dory]]''.<ref name="Select review"/> [[Robert Christgau]] of ''The Village Voice'' was the album's boldest defender,<ref name="RS Masterpiece"/> praising Pavement for favoring lyricism over commerciality. He also felt that the album was mellow and rarely chaotic, concluding: "if their vocation is beguiling song-music that doesn't sound like anything else or create its own rut, this reinforces one's gut feeling that they can do it forever."<ref name="Christgau review"/> Despite the middling reviews from most critics, ''Wowee Zowee'' was ranked number 17 in the 1995 Pazz & Jop poll.<ref name="1995 Pazz & Jop"/>