Two way Monologues

Stephen Malkmus: Face The Truth

So Stephen Malkmus was the frontman for a band that is near and dear to many of your hearts, Pavement. However, I have heard one Pavement album, once in my entire life and I wanted to be forthcoming with that information right away. I like to try and have background about the music I review, and for the most part I usually am able to provide you with that. With Stephen Malkmus I can't. I downloaded his solo album after hearing some rather positive reviews, and hearing the lead single when it won track fu. Months later, I finally own it.

"Face The Truth" is kinda like that stew your mom would make for leftovers, that had a little bit of everything in it and you weren't quite sure it was going to work and yet when you tasted it you liked what you found. If you heard the first track you might expect a more melodic, less frantic Modest Mouse style album. But if you heard the lead single "Post-Paint Boy" you would be expecting a softer, gentler, indie-pop album. And as the album progresses Malkmus travels the spectrum, stopping in all the little gaps in between alternative, and indie-pop often combining them and he does so without any difficulty. From what I read his other solo work has never succeeded anywhere near as much as this album does. It would appear, that something has clicked for Mr. Malkmus. But how good is it?

"Pencil Rot" is the lead track, and it is probably the best rocking song on the album. The whacky distorted guitar in the opening reminds me of Modest Mouse right away, but Malkmus's voice is so much more polished than Sir Isaac Brock. This song has a rocking danceability to it, that would likely lead to some interesting dancing at a live show. The high pitched falsetto he uses to echo his own lyrics throughout is deliciously fun to sing along to even it does make you sound somewhat queer. This song is a little bit similar to a lot of other stuff going on, but the way that Malkmus adds the electronic/retro feel to the normal formula allows it to stand alone.

Next up is "Freeze The Saints" which is a gem of a tune. A strong contender for any year end list that I might make. This song is a stark contrast to "Pencil Rot", delicately crafted and filled with quirky but lovable lyrics. This song is kinda a tearjerker, and my interpretation on the lyrics is that everything was is going good for him in the relationship right now, but he knows that it is about to end. He wants to find a way to just stay in the moment, and languish the way he is feeling right now. Kinda reminds me of the scenes in Eternal Sunshine when Jim Carrey and Kate Winslett are trying to stay in the moment and not have their memories erased. This kinda reminds me of Elliott Smith meets Joel Plaskett. That is a weird comparison but what I am saying is the song is crafted like a Smith song but it is done in a much less gut-wrenching depressing sort of way. My favourite lyric perhaps on the entire album is here.

"You said done is good", but done well is so much fucking better. Share the wealth, and cauterize the tears. If you want to know, well you are yes you are so much like me. Freeze the saints-- such a subtle read, exquisite pedigree just let yourself "be" and languish here. Help me languish here."

I'm intentionally picking songs that are unique from the one before to illustrate how this albums works. "No More Shoes" is a combination of an indie-pop song and an insane jam out rock song that compares well to any older Modest Mouse work. This is actually an 8 minute epic song, with very few lyrics throughout. The majority of it is filled with sicke guitar riffs, and spontaneous sounding progressive jams. The vocal parts of the song wouldn't seem to fit the jam format in the middle, but the song is crafted in such a way that the transition is flawless. Probably safe to say a lot of the songs take on this type of free-flowing format in the live shows that he plays. Around the 5 minute mark the guitar gets so high pitched and intense it is nearly orgasmic. Playing guitar like that is something most guitarists don't have in the repetoire. Shortly after that the song transitions into a frantic chant and then back into a softer groove before it finishes off as an indie-pop song again. We drop the saga bomb pretty often, but here it is legit.

"Mama" actually sounds very Canadian to me. It reminds me of a more sophisticated sounding Joel Plaskett. But Malkmus isn't Canadian so that is just a coincidence. This isn't as complex of a sound as some of the other songs, instead it is just a nice poppy tune with a hint of country layered underneath. This song is made to sing along and slow groove along with. I wouldn't be surprised if it has moderate success if it gets released as a single as this sound is more accessible than some of the other ones. Malkmus has great range in his voice, and when he rocks the falsetto and he does it often you'd be hardpressed to match how good it sounds. I get the feeling that he can make any kinda song he wants so long as he puts his mind to it.

We'll end where perhaps I shoulda begun. The lead single on this album was "Post Paint Boy" and it won track fu in the virgin days of that blog feature. Anyhow this song was a peculiar choice as a lead single to me because though it is catchy it is catchy in such a laid back non gripping kinda way that I doubt it sunk in with the masses. So many of the songs are more blatantly gripping than this, but maybe it was intentional? Either way it ranks right up with "Freeze The Saints" as the best this album has to offer. This is more of that indie-pop that so many people love, and just as many people despise even hearing the name of. When Malkmus makes this type of songs is when his sonwriting really comes to the forefront. I think one of the keys in being able to listen to this kinda music is to have an appreciation for song writing. Without all the flash, and the big time riffs and loud vocals the listener is forced to hear the lyrics. Sometimes that can ruin an album right away, but with "Face The Truth" it just enhances it. Ok so i'm done talking about the songs but I have to do one lyric off this song. Hard to pick just one.

"Post-Paint Boy, with your art you're penny rich and dollar dumb. In a style that they call so non-European. You're the maker of modern minor mastepieces for the untrained eye."

"Face The Truth" has a legitimate shot in cracking my top 10 list at year's end. It will definitely be on the bubble but the album is that consistently good from front to back that it merits a serious look. Which reminds me, holy shit I have to really start thinking about that. I know it is only mid September but winnowing it down to 10 after hearing so many albums in the year is a serious undertaking. This album should have a little something for anyone, but for it to be a front-to-backer you would need to have broad musical taste. Otherwise you might as well just download it and pick and choose the mp3's that suit you.

Songs to download: "Pencil Rot", "It Kills", "No More Shoes", "Freeze The Saints", "Mama", "Kindling For The Master", "Post-Paint Boy"

SCORE: 9.0 (Good place to put this score right now. I'll re-assess i'll give it a bit more time to stew and in a few months we'll see if it has the strength to crack the top 10.)

posted by Daysthatareover @ 3:34 PM