Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks: Real Emotional Trash

Earlier this year, Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks released the latest record of Malkmus’s post-Pavement recording career. Real Emotional Trash is the fourth album by Malkmus and company and this time around they include former Sleater-Kinney drummer, Janet Weiss, who does a great job anchoring these songs. Malkmus is known for his penchant of writing songs with messy guitars and catchy melodies and the songs on Real Emotional Trash fit into that category easily. Most of the songs are over five minutes long and the title track reaches just over the ten minute mark. This leaves room for quite a number of instrumental interludes of guitar noodling and mini-jam sessions, which creates a compelling ebb and flow on the record. Malkmus’ fragile vocals are as endearing as ever as his voice alternates between steady strength and sounding as if it is teetering on the edge of falling off key.

Real Emotional Trash does not seek to explore lots of genres and sounds as some of Malkmus’ earlier work has, but rather, it feels like a love letter to classic guitar rock. The lengthy title track goes through several movements and tempo changes, but each part is clearly built around the guitars, as are all the songs here. While the music still has a distinct rough-and-tumble feel to it, it sounds much sturdier than the (delightfully) sloppy sounds of mid-90s Pavement. Malkmus, now married and a father of two, continues to show more maturity as his career goes on, but that is not to say he is taking himself too seriously–he certainly hasn’t lost his sense of humor which is evidenced in the lyrics to several songs here. And just because this is a guitar album, doesn’t mean that the synths and keys don’t have an important role to play. The breezy, rocking piano on “We Can’t Help You” lends a dose of lightness to the record. Synthesizers rise and fall in the background on the catchy “Cold Son” bringing to mind the nerd-rock of the late 90s.

The album opens with “Dragonfly Pie” which features fuzzy, distorted guitars that would fit perfectly in a song by The White Stripes. Things push right into “Hopscotch Willie,” an oddly funny song about a man claiming to be framed for murder. This song is a real winner aided by a fun, bouncy melody and the thougtfully crafted words from Malkmus’ pen. While there are lots of guitar solos and jams on the record, they are delicately managed. In fact, they are so carefully balanced that the album never feels tired, boring, or overblown, which could have easily happened. While Malkmus’ voice and guitar seem welded together forming a fierce duo, this record really sounds like it was made by a band and not a solo artist–which is a good thing. It sounds as if the group is working closely together and having a blast in the process. So in many ways, Real Emotional Trash is a balancing act on several fronts and it succeeds in all of them.

Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain is arguably the crowning achievement of Pavement’s work, but it is not a record that reveals its granduer immediately. It provides a mysterious listening experience as small facets are picked up with each spin. While Real Emotional Trash is not on par with Crooked Rain, it provides the same mysterious experience, albeit ,at a lesser level. It fits well in the world of 21st century music, but there are certainly elements of 90s indie rock slipping around these songs. Its a record that fans of Pavement and Malkmus will certainly enjoy and it will likely attract new fans and propel them back in time to the perenniel works of Pavement. Real Emotional Trash has heart, a sense of humor, and some great fuzzy guitar jam sessions resulting in a record that provides a thoroughly pleasing listen that grows more satisfying with each playing.

Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks
Real Emotional Trash
Matador, 2008
Rating: 4.0/5.0