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Stephen Malkmus
Face the Truth
(Matador/Beggars Group)
As Stephen Malkmus reminds us, "normal is weirder than you would care to admit."
That would make Face the Truth -- the third solo album from the former Pavement singer-guitarist -- a fairly normal album. At least for him.
In contrast to the poorly received proggy guitar-wank epics of 2003's Pig Lib, these 11 cuts echo the oddball whimsy of the latter days of Pavement.
The shambling grooves and rambling arrangements, the lazy vocals and loose harmonies, the spindly guitars and overall immediacy of the songcraft will all be familiar to anyone who's spent quality time with Wowee Zowee.
Which is not to call Face the Truth a step back. Malkmus (who supposedly played most of the instruments himself, relegating his band The Jicks to a lesser role) uses more squishy synths and strings to add new hues to his sound. He even includes one epic-length guitar-noodlefest for those who dug Pig Lib.
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Overall, though, Face the Truth comes off as a relaxed, confident return to form by a guy who's found a comfortable balance between his past and present.
Track Listing:
1. Pencil Rot
2. It Kills
3. I've Hardly Been
4. Freeze the Saints
5. Loud Cloud Crowd
6. No More Shoes
7. Mama
8. Kindling for the Master
9. Post-Paint Boy
10. Baby C'mon
11. Malediction