via//chicago

Real Emotional Jick

I got my first peek at the new Stephen Malkmus album, Real Emotional Trash, earlier today and I gotta say that I'm not entirely sure how I feel about it just yet. A proper listen when it drops on March 18 may help me sort out my feelings a little more, but for now I was left kinda uninspired. On the one hand, this sounds like yet another Malkmus solo album - lots of excuses for his guitar pyrotechnics, iffy lyrics, and several jaunty melodies to get stuck in your head. And, sadly, very little of the impish charm that made Pavement such a joy to behold throughout the nineties. But on the other hand, there are flashes of life behind the drumkit that keep things from growing altogether too stale thanks to new Jick and former Sleater-Kinney member Janet Weiss. Don't get me wrong, this still holds a whole lot of potential and Malkie cranks out a solid handful of awesome guitar solos, but I didn't feel anything stick like the best moments of Pavement or even the first couple solo discs. I'm not going to give up though, and you should most definitely take a listen for yourself.

Stephen Malkmus & Jicks - "Baltimore" (via Matador's site)