I love Pavement. But Malkmus on his own is a different beast. A different, lovely beast. His propensity for lyrical role-playing is absurd. And when he takes on the bald dome of Yul Brynner it is at its best.
https://gizmodo.com/pavement-gold-soundz-5968786
I’m not entirely sure what it is that possesses a man to write music from the point of view of a comically simplistic, self-obsessed version of an iconic star of stage and screen. But whatever it is, I am glad that Stephen Malkmus has it. In spades.
Off the ex-Pavement frontman’s self-titled album, “Jo Jo’s Jacket” is perhaps the most ridiculous and fantastic showcase of Malkmus’ tendency to create songs that are catchy as hell, but with lyrics that come ever-so-close to pure word salad while still maintaining a sense of a cohesiveness that makes them seem somehow more insane than total gibberish.
It’ll turn your brain into a medicinal jelly. [Spotify, Amazon, iTunes]
