Stephen Malkmus

Certain Songs #2465: Stephen Malkmus – “Come Get Me”

October 17, 2022 by Jim Connelly

Album: Groove Denied
Year: 2019

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While 2018’s Sparkle Hard was the full-band album that Stephen Malkmus released after a four-year absence, the album he originally wanted to release was eventually called Groove Denied, which consisted of synth-oriented songs he’d been working on for years. This so freaked out Matador — who’d been releasing Malkmus’s records for 25 years — that the record label president flew out to Portland personally to reject the record.

Naturally, Malkmus had fallen prey to the Young/Mould Corollary to the Townshend Rule: not only will a great guitarist eventually make a synth-oriented record, the record label will likely freak out when it happens.

Certain Songs #2464: Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks – “Middle America”

October 14, 2022 by Jim Connelly

Album: Sparkle Hard
Year: 2018

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Pavement was never all that prolific when they were together — five albums, plus a handful of EPs and non-album singles — and so it’s no surprise that Stephen Malkmus basically released an album every couple of years in the early aughts, which slipped to every three years and then, between 2014’s Wig Out at Jagbags and 2018’s Sparkle Hard, four years.

Certain Songs #2463: Stephen Malkmus and The Jicks – “Chartjunk”

October 13, 2022 by Jim Connelly

Album: Wig out at Jagbags
Year: 2014

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When Rhino put out the CD reissues of the first two Television albums in 2008, outside of a couple of remixes and alternate takes of the songs we already knewthere wasn’t really a lot of extra tracks to be had. I guess the Eno demos with Richard Hell were off the the table, so for Marquee Moon, we got “Little Johnny Jewel,” the 7″ which preceded it, and for Adventure, we got the unreleased title track.

And while it might have seemed a very Led Zeppelin move to leave “Adventure” off of Adventure, it also made sense: it was the only song that Television ever recorded in the 1970s that sounded like a 1970s song, as it was basically an uptempo blues shuffle. Sure there was plenty of amazing Tom Verlaine lead guitar, but the rhythms and riffs were otherwise pretty generic, and didn’t really fit with a band that remains outside of space and time.

Certain Songs #2462: Stephen Malkmus and The Jicks – “Stick Figures in Love”

October 12, 2022 by Jim Connelly

Album: Mirror Traffic
Year: 2011

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After 2003’s Pig Lib, Stephen Malkmus recorded to follow-up, 2005’s Face The Truth, mostly by himself, which might have prompted drummer John Moen to leave. This didn’t faze Malkmus at all, and Moen was replaced by the once and future Sleater-Kinney drummer, Janet Weiss. Weiss was onboard for 2008’s Real Emotional Trash and 2011’s Mirror Traffic.

Mirror Traffic also had the news hook of being produced by one Beck Hansen, meaning that at least three 90’s indie legends were onboard. And in fact, it’s definitely one of his best solo albums, with highlights like “Fall Away,” “Asking Price” and todays song, “Stick Figures in Love.”

Certain Songs #2461: Stephen Malkmus and The Jicks – “Us”

October 11, 2022 by Jim Connelly

Album: Pig Lib
Year: 2003

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Despite naming his post-Pavement debut after himself, Stephen Malkmus actually almost instantly fell back into a band situation, dubbing his backing musicians — drummer John Moen, bassist Joanna Bolme (both of whom played on Stephen Malkmus) and keyboardist Mike Clarke (who joined soon afterwards) — “The Jicks,” and until 2018, the Jicks played on his records, even if they weren’t always credited as such.

Certain Songs #2460: Stephen Malkmus – “Jenny and the Ess-Dog”

October 10, 2022 by Jim Connelly

Album: Stephen Malkmus
Year: 2001

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To me, the clearest comp for Stephen Malkmus’ self-titled solo debut was Tom Verlaine’s self-titled solo debut in 1979. After all, both were hotshot guitarists who led bands with a second guitarist with whom they had fantastic musical chemistry.

However, there were also differences: I’m pretty sure that Television had broken up before I’d even heard Marquee Moon in the Autumn of 1978, while I spent the entire 1990s with Pavement, watching them make great record after great record, as well as Terror Twilight.