Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks

 

Having spent much of the past three decades creating some of the most important and influential music of his generation, Stephen Malkmus is almost peerless when it comes to the breadth and depth of his work. Coming to prominence in the 90’s through with his band Pavement – whilst also working with the highly acclaimed Silver Jews – Malkmus spearheaded the thriving underground scene on the 90’s, honing textured sound and aesthetic that is many still attempt to imitate today (largely without success). Following Pavement’s hiatus in 1999, he began working under the name Stephen Malkmus and The Jicks, allowing him a little more freedom but retaining that same warmth and songwriting prowess that earned him such renown.

 

 

Since the release of his eponymous album in 2001, Malkmus hasn’t really stopped, while remaining seemingly unable to let the quality of his output drop. Throughout the 5 LPs that The Jicks have put out, there’s been an increased sense of both freedom and maturity – their second record, Pig Lib, was labelled a “the rebirth of Stephen Malkmus” by Pitchfork – and the critical acclaim that marked his early career has never gone away. Rolling Stone called 2008’s Real Emotional Trash “downright glorious”, Lost at Sea called 2005’s Face The Truth “the work of a songwriter at his finest hour”, and The Independent noted of 2011’s Mirror Traffic that “these are some of the most engaging songs he’s written, with beguiling melodies wrapped around typically gnomic lyrics”.

 

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