for the record

Author: Emily Temple

Stephen Malkmus has changed the face of music as we know it. Now, be advised, he started this process close to 20 years ago and, as far as I'm concerned, finished it about 10 years ago when a little band called Pavement met its demise. Malkmus formed his soon-to-be-legendary rock band in Stockton, Calif. with lifetime best friend and high school bandmate Scott Kannberg. In 1989 the two joined with thirty-something Gary Young to create Pavement, a band that single-handedly established the sound of traditional indie rock - obtuse and irreverent, guitar-heavy and thick, sweaty and druggy. Young is famed to have once grumbled to a reporter, "this Malkmus idiot is a complete songwriting genius." It's hard to argue. At the time, he was doing something that no one else had really thought of, or at least done well. He was combining obscure, semi-intelligible vocals with prog-rock backing while managing to keep things tight and satisfying at the same time. Sounds like a lot of the better '90's indie rock, right? Credit: Pavement. 1992 saw their first real release, the fanatic and fantastic Slanted and Enchanted, which has become one of those classic albums that you just need to know about. They went on to produce four other full-length albums, each one probing the depths. You can't find a new indie rock band that doesn't cite Pavement as an influence. Well, you probably can, but they're lying. Pavement spawned a generation of smart, gritty rock bands, creating a genre that - until only very recently - reigned supreme over the indie music world.

As far as I can tell, while Malkmus's solo records have gained some popular acclaim, not one of them is as influential or adventurous as any of his releases with Pavement. Real Emotional Trash is Malkmus's fourth album since Pavement broke up in 1999. Out March 3 on Matador Records, this release boasts several standout tracks - check out "Dragonfly Pie," "Baltimore" and "Gardenia." But for me the album is just a placeholder, a reminder of a band that once was.

Rolling Stone Magazine divides Stephen Malkmus fans into two categories - those who dig Pig Lib, his 2003 release, in all its droning guitar and spacey energy, and those who prefer 2005's Face the Truth, with its Mountain Goats-esque quips and tightly woven fragmentations. I, of course, find myself squarely in the latter category, not least because this manifestation of Malkmus is what I associate with his Pavement days - with songs like "Cut Your Hair" (the only single to achieve any sort of commercial play, appearing on MTV a handful of times) and the self-mocking "Stereo." For fans like me, Real Emotional Trash is only half-interesting. I say 'half-interesting' with all sincerity, because of the album's 10 tracks I like five songs. Now, the five songs I like are pretty great. But the five songs I don't like? With this album, I fear Malkmus has strayed into a kind of self-indulgence specific to guitarists - there's just too much jamming, from the dragging 10-minute title track to the excessively proggy and kind of boring "Elmo Delmo." It's the kind of record I have to pick and choose from, and though I would probably kill someone (only if I didn't like them, of course) for the opportunity to see Pavement live, this record disappoints the hope of slaking that lust by seeing Malkmus's solo act. If I get bored by the jams on these tracks, how boring will it be for a girl like me when the group actually gets on stage and gets into the groove? Some people love this, I know. But all I'm thinking is melody, melody, melody and give me some lyrics.