The Severed Cortex

Link: http://www.amazon.com/Emotional-Trash-Stephen-Malkmus-Jicks/dp/B0012IWHN2/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1220319292&sr=8-1

I totally understand that Stephen Malkmus is not for everyone. I've yet to meet anyone amongst my friends that says they are a Pavement fan, and let's face it, Stephen Malkmus was the brains of Pavement. Truthfully I've never met anyone who even mentions Pavement. About the only reference I've seen to them was in Jon Stewart's book America where he asks "Does Pavement count?" when asked for the best punk rock band. I know Pavement isn't the first band that I think of when I meet someone who says they are a music fan. Usually someone says they are a music fan and that never reaches beyond Coldplay or Dave Matthews Band. Seldom do I have to go so far as to say, "What about Pavement"? I usually lose them at The Pixies or The Minutemen or Modest Mouse or any number of bands that ride just under the corporate radar. But be that as it may, the acquired taste that is Pavement is one that I like a great deal. Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks is just an extension of that.
Sorta. Fans of Pavement will say that Malkmus is trying to become more mainstream with his solo work. Hey, everyone wants to be a hater when one of their own starts getting some mainstream exposure. I should be included in that group too. But the reality is that Stephen Malkmus will never be mainstream. Ever. The music is just to jangly and angular and well, just odd. Even Pig Lib, arguably Malkmus' most accessible work, is nowhere near palatable for the casual music listener. Yes there are a couple songs that come close to reaching that pinnacle, if you want to consider mainstream approval a pinnacle, but even playing them for friends of mine that are musically inclined draws a mediocre response. And largely the Pavement lovers hate that Malkmus is even flirting with trying to get to that pinnacle. To me, he's just looking around at the base of the mountain and kicking the tires. He doesn't really want to scale up to the pinnacle. At least I felt that way with Pig Lib.
I skipped the 2005 release, Face The Truth, so I really don't have any idea where that one was headed. What I do know is that Real Emotional Trash tends to fall back towards the Pavement weirdness. No, it doesn't quite get to there, mainly because the production values on this new release make it sound so much better, and for that it will never sound like Pavement. But the songs, with a lo-fi vibe layered across the top, could pass for a bunch of mature Pavement tunes. Fans of Stephen Malkmus will still probably say he's selling out. I guess if that means your average music listener might give Malkmus a listen now, then I guess I would agree that would be selling out. The harsh reality is that for every hundred people that listen to it, only one will be interested. That's better than the 500 to 1 ratio that was Pavement but it's still not exactly what I would call mainstream. Such is the group of pompous asses that are music snobs. Myself included.
I like the damn thing regardless of whether you say Malkmus is selling out or not. I don't think he is and I personally think this is not quite as good as Pig Lib. It takes a couple of listens to get into it, but once I did I have to agree with Gary Young. This Malkmus idiot is a complete songwriting genius. The title track is a ten minute opus and can only be bought in album form. You can't buy the song individually on iTunes, not that you should. This is another one of those releases where you really should buy the whole thing instead of individual songs so you can get the whole feel. If you simply insist on buying just a couple of songs then I recommend Baltimore, probably the most accessible on the CD. It's long at over six and a half minutes, but it does showcase the songwriting skills that only Stephen Malkmus possesses. Plus, it is a decent entry point for how the whole album feels. Cold Son has a pretty cool riff that sucks you in and the heavy fuzz sound makes you long for the Pavement days, but it is still an almost five minute song. If you're looking for something shorter, the poppy Gardenia is nice, and it has great lines like you are a gardenia pressed in the campaign journal in the rucksack of an Afrikaner candidate for mild reform. Trippy isn't it? But it paints a vivid picture, which is one thing that Stephen Malkmus is good at. If you buy the album on iTunes, you get the bonus track Walk Into The Mirror, which might actually be the best tune on the disc. If you've bought the album I'd be interested in hearing how much you like Pavement, or Stephen Malkmus for that matter. You might wind up being the first person I know, besides myself and Gary Young, that think this idiot is indeed a great songwriter.

As an aside, Joanna Bolme, the girlfriend of the absolutely genius songwriter Elliott Smith, plays bass on this release. Love her or hate her for getting Basement On A Hill released, she is a very good bass player.