Stephen Malkmus - s/t
(Matador)
When Stephen Malkmus held up a pair of handcuffs during Pavement's
last show as a metaphor for what it's like to be in a band, you'd
have to worry--or at least wonder--what ideas of his were being
held back and what exactly his new solo act would sound like.
As it turns out, it sounds almost exactly like Pavement. It's like
Pavement never left.
Actually, it's more like the old Pavement never left, as Malkmus'
songwriting seems to have taken a step backward, all for the better.
The new direction of Beatles and ballads that Pavement had gone
deeper into over their last two records is less prevalent here.
More of the music seems to just be good ol' fashioned indie
rock--much more so than Pavement made at the end of their run--a
return to what made that old dead band great to begin with, although
maybe in a slightly more laidback, mature manner.
The song that makes this album great instead of just good is
"Jenny & the Ess-Dog," a "Jack and Diane"-style story of a
coming-of-age relationship between 18-year old rich girl Jenny and
31-year old "man in a Sixties cover band" Ess-Dog filled with all the
lyrical madness Malkmus does so well. The couple
starts as like-minded Bohemian souls listening to Dire Straits who co-parent
a dog, Trey (the song even includes a verse from the dog's
perspective). After Jenny moves away for school, distance and age difference
take their toll, and the couple not only separates from each other
but also from the virtues they held when they were together as
Jenny becomes a frat girl and Ess-Dog sells his guitar and becomes
a waiter. The song is saying something important about love or
Bohemians or love and Bohemians; either that or he is saying something
important about liking Dire Straits.
Of course, Dire Straits is not the only odd, amusing reference on the
album, as such things are a large part of what makes Malkmus' lyrical
style unique and cop-proof. "Jo Jo's Jacket" starts with a recording
of Yul Brynner discussing the benefits of shaving your head on top of
a piano prelude. As Malkmus' lyrics start, he continues speaking as
if he's Yul Brynner, referencing 1970s sci-fi movie Westworld where
Brynner plays an android cowboy. The song features funky 70s-sounding
guitars and Malkmus' oow-eeing that builds into a stereotypically-Pavement
freakout section with guitars fast and cluttered and Malkmus' spoken
vocals peeking out from underneath. "The Hook" is also full of odd
imagery, using a strutting groove and beat as Malkmus sings of Turkish
pirates.
The album is by no means perfect. Without anyone to bring in the reins,
Malkmus does let a couple decent ideas expand too far and for too long,
letting them lose their potency, or focus on a completely bad idea to
make a boring or grating song. "Troubbble" is a noisy rocker with some
analog squiggles and loud guitars--a pointless song with an annoying hook
that belongs on Frank Black's solo album, not Steve Malkmus'. Laid-back
songs like "Pink India" and "Trojan Curfew" recline a bit too much and seem
overly long (or just overly boring, take your pick). However,
overall the album's 40 minute go by pretty quickly and very enjoyably;
only careful ears really focus on the lackluster parts of the album.
So maybe that whole handcuff remark was just totally misinterpreted
as this album seems to be a continuation of the creativity, tricks, and hooks
that made Pavement great. Maybe he is just really into sadomasochism
and meant to imply being in a band turns him on and helps him lose his
inhibitions. Who knows? I guess it's possible.
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