STEPHEN MALKMUS - Face The Truth Review

Face the Truth is Stephen Malkmus’ third album since Pavement’s break-up in 1999, and over the course of those three albums the direction of his solo career has become a little more apparent. Everybody assumed that Malkmus was the mastermind behind Pavement, and that the band’s skewed brand of ‘90s indie rock was his vision. That may or may not have been the case, but 2003’s Pig Lib and Face the Truth have both made it clear that Malkmus had musical interests that ranged much wider than “indie” rock....full text I’m a nut for finding similarities in style and artistic/commercial trajectory between rock bands, and REM/Pavement was always a favorite back in the nineties. Both bands offered enigmatic singles and an epochal debut followed by an almost trad sophomore classic and a schizo follow-up. But while Pavement was like REM, Stephen Malkmus wasn’t like Michael Stipe....full text Of all the characters in today's musical landscape, Stephen Malkmus likely has the most reason to phone in an album at this point in his career. For starters, he has one leg over the midlife fence, and seeming domesticity in his foreseeable future with a newborn in tow....full text