Stephen Malkmus

(Matador)
by Tim Den

I will not be one of the weeping slackers. I will not be playing my copy of Slanted and Enchanted as I stand vigil for the sadly departed Pavement. Why? Because Stephen Malkmus‘ first solo record has him continuing the brilliant/eccentric indie pop path his former band’s last record (Terror Twilight) trailblazed, and it sounds a million times more mature and interesting than the noisy crunch most fans wish he’d return to. While reviews everywhere have already called this debut “light,” “airy,” and “more ‘up’,” I prefer to think of it as an album with better songs than some of Pavement’s early stuff. And more fun to listen to, too. I always liked the more cohesive Pavement over sloppy Pavement anyway: “Gold Sounz” good, “Hit the Plane Down” not so good. “We Dance” good, most of Westing (by Musket and Sextant) not so good. All of Terror Twilight: brilliant. Which brings us to this baby… Full of mid-tempo melodies (“Black Book,” “Discretion Grove,” “Jenny & the Ess-Dog”), cheeky rockers (“Phantasies,” “The Hook,” “Troubbble”), and an occasional stunner (“Church on White”) that turns on the tear ducts the very first time you hear the opening lick. And, of course, there are tales of lost love, pirate mascots, Yul Brennar biographies, and poetic liberties, but do you really want anything else from the man?

I adored Pavement and always will, but that won’t keep me from adoring Stephen Malkmus’ solo career. By the look of things, the songs are only going to get smoother and smoother sounding. And even if that puts our hero at risk of the Sting Syndrome, it’s a helluva lot better than him digging up the fuzzbox.
(625 Broadway New York, NY 10012)