Stephen Malkmus

His voice sounds so thin, this weak weird half falsetto on the high notes. Also, Drums also sound anemic and his interplay with rhythm - not to mention just enjoying Gary and Steve - that was so good in pavement seems absent. But I like the buildup to the chorus, reminds me of some p-ment song I can’t think of atm.

I must give Mirror Traffic another listen. It made no impression on me whatsoever last time I heard it.

― Well bissogled trotters (Michael B), Tuesday, February 13, 2018 3:46 AM (yesterday) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

it has its highs and lows but i ride hard for "stick figures in love"

"Tigers", "Stick Figures", "No One Is"... "Share The Red" is like an American Water outtake. I'd take all of those over "Shady Lane" or "Ann Don't Cry" or whatever late Pavement throwaways that people clutch close to vest.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xm_BsWO_jrQ

Spiral Stairs 50th Birthday

Thumbs Off (The Clean cover)
Cinnamon and Lesbians
Spazz
Away (Meat Puppets cover)
Golden Brown (The Stranglers cover)
Scattegories
The Janitor Revealed
J Smoov
My Kingdom (Echo & The Bunnymen cover)
Real Emotional Trash
Fall Away
Cocaine (J.J. Cale cover) ;-)
No One Is (As I Are Be)
Forever 28
Androgynous (The Replacements cover)

Encore:
Falling Away (Preston School of Industry cover) (with Spiral Stairs)
Date w/ Ikea (Pavement cover) (with Spiral Stairs)
Kennel District (Pavement cover) (with Spiral Stairs)
Summer Babe (Pavement cover) (with Spiral Stairs)

that's a fun show! thx for sharing.

Yes, what CAD said, thanks! Good to see Spiral in action, too.

A Malkmus/Jicks tracks poll would be welcome at this stage. Although I can kind of imagine people just voting for the whole of Pig Lib

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MCNJytiXyLE&feature=youtu.be

our man S.M. is finally starting to show his age

Have yet to hear Sparkle Hard but this already feels like one of those times where a late period album by a prestige indie artist suddenly gets a load of attention for some reason and I'm the only person who prefers the previous album that was either ignored or outright eviscerated

Like for instance I thought Sometimes I Wish We Were An Eagle was soooo much better than Apocalypse

And I'm one of the six or seven people who thought Wig Out At Jagbags was great

these songs sound wonderful

This is nice, if you haven't seen it:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vKpi9cAmnfo

Alpine Static's youtube is a dead link for me. What is it?

It's this (I had to search, as well):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MCNJytiXyLE

Malk and a 12-string is a good combo

And I'm one of the six or seven people who thought Wig Out At Jagbags was great

Haven't heard much of the new one, but I still think Jagbags was really good!

sorry bout the bad link

ty morris, np alpine!

Opening shot of what you initially think is a tube amp being switched on turning out to be a tennis ball pitching machine = maybe most Malkmus thing ever

I haven't cared about anything he's done post-Pavement but that film was p fun

^^ same

I mean, I care ... it just all falls short to me. I wish it weren't so, but it is.

that being said, i'd watch/listen/read an interview with him anytime. last night i watched that video above, then went and listened to his 90-minute WTF podcast ... which wasn't even that interesting!

I thought this was an interesting/entertaining podcast: https://soundcloud.com/thetalkhouse/stephen-malkmus-with-emil-amos

Indeed, that one is really good. Much better than Maron.

That one made headlines because of his (very interesting) comments on working w/ Nigel Godrich, and how you ought to be able to make a really good record for what they spent.

Yeah, I saw Nigel said something on Twitter in his "defense"; like, "I slept on a friend's floor the whole time we were making that record!" -- which didn't seem to really address the critique.

As an addendum: I’m not sure how much better the album could have been with a different producer. But the experience w/Godrich is kind of a bummer, for the band’s swan song.

He seems amiable in this interview:

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/14/arts/music/stephen-malkmus-jicks-pavement-sparkle-hard.html

I saw a mother in Toni Tennille — like, a perfect mom. She was a mother that I wanted to [make love to], but I didn’t know how to yet.

Haha, nice edit

Gerard Cosloy [the editor of Conflict], was snarky and sarcastic, like Mad Magazine gone hipster, with music. And there were really bitchy bands, like Royal Trux.

Jennifer called Pavement “boring” in a recent magazine interview (and Neil was like, “She said it, not me!”). Wonder if this is payback...

As an addendum: I’m not sure how much better the album could have been with a different producer. But the experience w/Godrich is kind of a bummer, for the band’s swan song.
― i’m still stanning (morrisp), Tuesday, May 15, 2018 8:41 PM (thirty-nine minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

I love Terror Twilight

noted!

What did they think it would sound like w/ Goodrich at the helm? It's warm and bubbly and years on I find it an easier listen than BTC

It’s not a a terrible album by any means, but the bringing in of “pro” musicians and stuff was kind of a drag of a way to go out. I’ve never really understood why the guys went along with it... they seemed like a band that would want to always be themselves, for better or worse (they ain’t the Smashing Pumpkins!). Maybe it was their “sure, we’ll try anything” attitude; or maybe they had monetary hopes and thought that a more “commercial” sounding album would sell better.

(For more context – SM said in that interview that the other guys “barely played on” the “difficult song” that Nigel wanted to lead off the album with. He doesn’t name the song, but I assume it’s “Platform Blues.”)

Where can I find the proposed Godrich tracklist? I know I've seen it somewhere.

Terrible record, saw SM do quite a bit of it solo (with a groovebox) and it was much more engaging. The Godrich touches have aged like 80s CGI.

godrich's tracklist:

Ground Beef [AKA Platform Blues]
The Hexx
You Are the Light
Jesus in Harlem [AKA Cream Of Gold]
Ann Don't Cry
Folk Jam
Major Leagues
Terror Twilight [AKA Speak, See, Remember]
Carrot Rope
Shagbag [A short instrumental track that was never released]
Billie
Spit on a Stranger

Not bad! I would switch tracks 1 & 2

yeah I gotta listen to that now

Malk and a 12-string is a good combo

― Οὖτις, Tuesday, May 15, 2018 4:54 PM (six hours ago

yeah this is so good. love the video

Wow that looks like a very sluggish A-side xps

not wrong...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i9KQP3Cbt_g

was this posted? this guy

xxp

Malk, re: the big tracklist argument: So Nigel was like “I’m done with this. This is the wrong move. We made a stoner album and you’re going halfway.” He’s right probably.

I think where the Nigel tracklist falls apart is toward the end (after “Speak, See”).... I can’t see “Carrot Rope” working anywhere other than as an addendum/bonus track.

What did they think it would sound like w/ Goodrich at the helm? It's warm and bubbly and years on I find it an easier listen than BTC

― DACA Flocka Flame (Hadrian VIII), Wednesday, 16 May 2018 01:35 (ten hours ago)

I've grown to love TT over the years. BTC is a bit of a slog nowadays.

He's a good interview (doing them with everyone for this record), but I am not sure I will like the new album

unless you count westing as the debut then sparkle hard is one "more" album than pavement ever did. go jicks

Think it’s technically his 7th album with the Jicks (counting his first, in 2001 – Malk wanted to credit the band on it, but Matador said no). Pavement was around 10 years, and he’s spent 17 years with the Jicks so far... time flies.

Sparkle Hard ranks with the first three Jicks LPs for me.