malkmus PIG LIB: 1% of one

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The Jicks were fairly sloppy when I saw them on the first album tour too. But in recent interviews, Malkmus sounds pretty confident about their chops - I'm not sure how much of that is bluffing though. Maybe they've really improved.

― o. nate (onate), Monday, 24 March 2003 15:48 (twenty-one years ago) link

malkmus is probably the best example of a has-been in all of indie rockdom. He's lost the plot.

― roger adultery (roger adultery), Monday, 24 March 2003 16:52 (twenty-one years ago) link

My least favorite production of any Malkmus/Pavement album is on "Terror Twilight" - which was suffocated under the heavy hand of Nigel Godrich.

poo! that was what I liked about it. Tracks like The Hexx would've been crap without it and I loved the way the tracks changed style and tempo without warning allt he way through. Not exactly Westing by Musket and Sextant, sure, but something completely different (and imho better).

― dog latin (dog latin), Monday, 24 March 2003 16:53 (twenty-one years ago) link

I think Malkmus is just having fun and making the kind of music he wants to make, if that's losing the plot, then that's fine with me.

― o. nate (onate), Monday, 24 March 2003 17:01 (twenty-one years ago) link

Unfortunately, I bought it before I realized that there was a limited edition with a free bonus EP available. How much am I missing?

It's 18 minutes worthy of the album itself.

― christoff (christoff), Monday, 24 March 2003 18:22 (twenty-one years ago) link

so, Pig Lib been out for a few days and I have yet to read another review of the record besides my own that trashes it. people seem to be ecstatic about it. none of the raves I've seen are terribly convincing, closer in nature to a Rolling Stone four-star review for, say, Cloud Nine than anything: "He meant so much to me in my youth, how can I possibly say no to anything he does?"
or am I wrong? except for a couple of interweb mentalists on this here board (indeed this here thread) I don't know anyone familiar w/this album who doesn't l-l-l-love it, and I'm starting to wonder. (I got rid of my promo copy and no I will not be purchasing it again.) what am I missing here?

don't worry about it, people are wrong all the time... it's part of being human.

― gygax! (gygax!), Monday, 24 March 2003 18:30 (twenty-one years ago) link

as far as i can tell, you're missing nothing, mm. reviews have me baffled. did i get the same record they did?

― bucky wunderlick (bucky), Monday, 24 March 2003 19:32 (twenty-one years ago) link

so who's wrong here, gygax!, me or the others?

― M Matos (M Matos), Monday, 24 March 2003 19:51 (twenty-one years ago) link

philosophy majors/grad students to thread!

honestly, i gave up on not "getting" anything long ago (only exception: indie guilt, but only for socialogical research). i can't read record reviews/music writing any more for various reasons.

but if i panned a record, i'd take a stand. this may surprise you but some artists actually read their reviews... continue panning it. ride that fukkerz into the ground. did you listen to it once or twice? maybe that 3rd time will give you the fodder to absolutely kill malkmus dead with the might of your pen.

― gygax! (gygax!), Monday, 24 March 2003 20:33 (twenty-one years ago) link

with the might of your pen.

or blog, whatever.

― gygax! (gygax!), Monday, 24 March 2003 20:34 (twenty-one years ago) link

I don't think my review was the best thing I've ever written by a longshot, but it says what I want it to say (it's here if you're interested).

the reason I bring this up at all is that, like anyone, I've misheard records in the past and wound up changing my mind over time. maybe that will happen here, but I still don't like Terror Twilight apart from three good songs, and the six or seven times I played Pig Lib I didn't hear three good songs. maybe in five years I will hear the error of my ways, but I just wondered if anyone else agreed w/me.

― M Matos (M Matos), Monday, 24 March 2003 20:39 (twenty-one years ago) link

I like the 1st song, the wipers-y one (dark wave?) and um... i forget the names/order of the rest. that 1st song is great though. his new band = tight.

― gygax! (gygax!), Monday, 24 March 2003 20:42 (twenty-one years ago) link

There's a good review in the latest Voice - another Godrich-hata, yay!

― o. nate (onate), Tuesday, 25 March 2003 21:20 (twenty-one years ago) link

It's Joe from upthread. Hey Joe!

― Carey (Carey), Tuesday, 25 March 2003 21:22 (twenty-one years ago) link

that's the most convincing positive review I've seen for sure, though I don't quite agree with it

― M Matos (M Matos), Tuesday, 25 March 2003 22:08 (twenty-one years ago) link

You don't have to agree with everything that is right with world.

― Carey (Carey), Tuesday, 25 March 2003 22:09 (twenty-one years ago) link

matos:

You missed your big chance to tell malkmus that you trashed his new record!!!

― gygax! (gygax!), Thursday, 27 March 2003 05:03 (twenty-one years ago) link

I hadn't made up my mind yet about the record when I did that interview, gygax!

― M Matos (M Matos), Thursday, 27 March 2003 10:27 (twenty-one years ago) link

nine months pass...

I've been digging this album up occasionally since I bought it. Listened to it last night and I've decided I probably like it more than most Pavement albums, and I LOVE Pavement. I like practically every song on there apart from maybe Craw Song which is just okay but not awful.

― dog latin (dog latin), Thursday, 8 January 2004 13:25 (twenty years ago) link

It did eventually grow on me (it's maybe a little too pleased with itself and proggy for me) but saying it's better than most Pavement albums is insane. I think I'll give it another listen tonite, I havent heard it in ages either.

― Michael B, Thursday, 8 January 2004 13:35 (twenty years ago) link

I compare it with Geogaddi by Boards of Canada, my girlfriend and chili con carne cos it's best after a short break from it. (!)

― dog latin (dog latin), Thursday, 8 January 2004 13:41 (twenty years ago) link

I'm as hardcore a Pavement fan as you can hope to be, and I probably prefer Pig Lib to at least Terror Twilight, and it's about even with Brighten The Corners for me. Just saying, Michael B.

― Matthew Perpetua (Matthew Perpetua), Thursday, 8 January 2004 15:05 (twenty years ago) link

Not sure why it's insane to rate Pig Lib higher than most Pavement records. Different people/different opinions, but I've seen mine shared by enough people that I don't question its sanity (Westing+Slanted+Wowee = good, everything else = snooze).

― dlp9001, Thursday, 8 January 2004 17:25 (twenty years ago) link

god Slanted is so fucking overrated

― M Matos (M Matos), Thursday, 8 January 2004 17:41 (twenty years ago) link

Is it? I always thought Crooked Rain was the overrated one.

― dlp9001, Thursday, 8 January 2004 19:38 (twenty years ago) link

brighten the corners is the overrated one, it is teh suck.

― gygax! (gygax!), Thursday, 8 January 2004 19:48 (twenty years ago) link

I saw him play last month; it was like being at a John Mayer concert.

― Sam J. (samjeff), Thursday, 8 January 2004 19:52 (twenty years ago) link

I don't get the love for Slanted - it's my least favourite of the lot. Terror Twilight gets dissed too much. I reckon it's simply down to "heard'em first" snobbery really.

― dog latin (dog latin), Thursday, 8 January 2004 20:10 (twenty years ago) link

It's not snobbery! I didn't hear any Pavement until several years after they came out. I have zero indie "attitude" or whatever.

"Slanted" just happens to be a terrific fucking album. EVEN IF lots of other people think so!

― Sam J. (samjeff), Thursday, 8 January 2004 20:27 (twenty years ago) link

I love Pig Lib to death, the fourth-best thing IMO he's been involved in after Crooked Rain, American Water, and S&E. So I'm feeling impassioned. I have three questions. Does anyone caught up in peripheral Malkmus cred issues care at all that "1% of One" is 9:11 long, as in 9/11, and the next song, called "US," as in U.S., not "Us," starts out "I wish we could get our act together"? Is _Pig Lib_--a musically political album insofar as that cool dude from Pavement goes full-on Rush/Mellow Candle-prog--a politically political album, too? And to all you Malkmus hating Berman lovers up thread--Why can't monsters get along with other monsters?

― otto, Thursday, 8 January 2004 22:13 (twenty years ago) link

I saw him play last month; it was like being at a John Mayer concert.

lots of super hot 18 year old chicks in the crowd, huh?

― M@tt He1geson (Matt Helgeson), Thursday, 8 January 2004 22:17 (twenty years ago) link

I saw him play last month; it was like being at a John Mayer concert.

You attend John Mayer concerts often, do you?

― dean gulberry (deangulberry), Thursday, 8 January 2004 22:23 (twenty years ago) link

Yes, I'm his road manager.

― Sam J. (samjeff), Thursday, 8 January 2004 22:26 (twenty years ago) link

I saw him play last month; it was like being at a John Mayer concert.

Yeah, Mayer loves those Mellow Candle covers.

― jody (Jody Beth Rosen), Thursday, 8 January 2004 22:29 (twenty years ago) link

Does anyone caught up in peripheral Malkmus cred issues care at all that "1% of One" is 9:11 long, as in 9/11, and the next song, called "US," as in U.S., not "Us," starts out "I wish we could get our act together"?

dude, don't.

― jody (Jody Beth Rosen), Thursday, 8 January 2004 22:30 (twenty years ago) link

So I looked at _Pig Lib_, and all the song titles are capitalized. I am dim, but still, doesn't anyone else care, in a thread devoted to "1% of One," that the song's 9:11 long? 9/11 . . . political . . . "make some sense of present tense, alright?" . . . prog rock suite by Pavement guy . . . . Anyone? Anyone? Okay, I'll go crawl back into my missile shelter.

― otto, Thursday, 8 January 2004 22:30 (twenty years ago) link

Let me add: Malkmus IS thinner than Mayer.

― Sam J. (samjeff), Thursday, 8 January 2004 22:36 (twenty years ago) link

Wowee Zowee is the overrated one.

― o. nate (onate), Thursday, 8 January 2004 22:41 (twenty years ago) link

indie lust wagon confession: i find the older, mellower malkmus very rowr. he's transitioned nicely from "wiry alt-thug" to "lanky, mysterious thirtysomething who's probably a lot less aloof than he looks." also i like the way his sexuality's starting to blossom on this record. i know everyone hates "craw song" but every time i hear him sing "check me out, i love so well" this image i get of malk-as-superstud-preening-over-his-performance really makes me giggle like a schoolgirl. "vanessa from queens" too ("got your ballerina tights around my head/in a samurai pose on the bed").

― jody (Jody Beth Rosen), Thursday, 8 January 2004 22:48 (twenty years ago) link

What does "1% of One" (the phrase) have to do with 9/11 then? Tell me that and I may consider this conspiracy theory..

― dean gulberry (deangulberry), Thursday, 8 January 2004 22:50 (twenty years ago) link

That "Crust Brothers" CD is the overrated one! Enough with the hosannas, world! It's been six years, for crying out loud!

I think the older Malkmus is indeed sexier than ever, in a way. It's weird: he doesn't necessarily look older - his face has just sort of gotten a little wider or something. He looks like some other guy mixed with Steve Malkmus.

― Sam J. (samjeff), Thursday, 8 January 2004 22:52 (twenty years ago) link

The margin by which Gore beat Bush? SM did tour with those Hail to the Thief people this summer . . . .

Nah, I don't believe it, either. But maybe somebody who knows more than me can help.

― otto, Thursday, 8 January 2004 23:17 (twenty years ago) link

(sorry, but: mellow candle!!)

― cozen (Cozen), Thursday, 8 January 2004 23:23 (twenty years ago) link

the truth is out there.

― M@tt He1geson (Matt Helgeson), Thursday, 8 January 2004 23:25 (twenty years ago) link

Matos, the link upthread to your Pig Lib review doesn't work anymore. Where can I find it?

― Raymond Cummings (Raymond Cummings), Friday, 9 January 2004 16:17 (twenty years ago) link

I just want to point out that Malkmus has been performing 1% Of One live since 2000, with more or less the same lyrics, so there's just no fucking way it is about September 11th, alright?

And "Us" is a break-up/love song!

Even when he's making an effort to be heart-on-sleeve, people still want to force him into being esoteric through sheer force of will!

Nothing by Malkmus is overrated. Everything he does is perfect. Believe me.

― Matthew Perpetua (Matthew Perpetua), Friday, 9 January 2004 16:29 (twenty years ago) link

And I like "Craw Song" a lot, Jody. I like the lyrics and the backing vocals, especially. Why bother covering "Waterloo Sunset" when you can just make a new song out of it?

― Matthew Perpetua (Matthew Perpetua), Friday, 9 January 2004 16:31 (twenty years ago) link

yeah, it's "waterloo sunset" by way of early todd rundgren. with some zydeco influence.

― jody (Jody Beth Rosen), Friday, 9 January 2004 16:33 (twenty years ago) link

"everything is he does is perfect"?!?!

― fiddo centington (dubplatestyle), Friday, 9 January 2004 16:37 (twenty years ago) link

http://www.ergir.com/saatli/clapton_is_god.jpg

― fiddo centington (dubplatestyle), Friday, 9 January 2004 16:37 (twenty years ago) link

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