stephen malkmus

Pavement fans who never really got over the breakup can finally breathe a sigh of collective relief. Stephen Malkmus-the face that launched a thousand collaborations-has finally quieted the clamor of the hipster masses with his new album, Real Emotional Trash. The former Pavement frontman returns to the scene with his (technically) fourth album with the Jicks, and the we've-lost-count-how-many-eth bearing his name.

Real Emotional Trash intermingles Malkmus' signature lyrical whimsy with a more jammy sound courtesy of the Jicks. The opening lines of "Dragonfly Pie" make us wonder whether Malkmus has become more reflective in his, dare I say, old age: "Of all my stoned digressions/Some have mutated into the truth/Not a spoof." The title track starts out starkly reminiscent of Pavement-in a good way. "Easy said but less often done/Point me in the direction/Of your reeeeeeal emotional trash", could easily be lyrics from the "Transport is Arranged," Brighten the Corners era. But the novelty deteriorates past the four-minute mark into a jammy, droning conclusion, a fate that more than half the songs on the album seem to suffer. Not enough Malkmus and too much forced improvisation make a lot of even the brighter content seem contrived.

But even in his forties, Malkmus has still retained the wit and charm that elevated Pavement to cult status. No matter what you churn out, Stephen Malkmus-king of quirk, and all that is quintessentially indie-your fans still bow down to you. We will envy your artist wife, gladly baby-sit your budding hipster children and always consider it a privilege to pick up your Real Emotional Trash-old Pavement records in hand.