Stephen Malkmus - Discretion Groove EP
(Matador)
Pavement's singles are mostly great and usually chocked full of B-sides
that sometimes surpass those they included on their albums. So, I"m
pleased to see that Stephen Malkmus seems to go by the same idea with his
solo effort.
"Discretion Grove" is from his recently released solo
debut.
It serves
as a good example of the blurred line between his solo album and the
direction Pavement had been moving.
"Sin Taxi" is a bit more of a departure. It starts with two keyboards,
bass, and drums setting the laid back tone. Once the guitars come
through, the vocals combine with them to bring the song back to familiar
Pavement-esque territory. The song devolves into a fingerpicked acoustic
guitar part, which threads its way to a groove with help from a treated
drum loop.
"Leisurely Poison" finishes off the single and is fairly forgettable.
It employs a drum machine and further defines the different areas in which
Malkmus is going to jump around on his solo recordings.
Discretion Grove doesn't meet the expectations I would have of a Pavement
single, but it's an OK start. It's a great introduction to the ideas
he tries to get across on his first album.
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