purple monkey dishwasher (Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks - Wig Out at Jagbags)

* taken from my tumblr earlier this year

Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks - Wig Out at Jagbags

Why you'll love it: Malkmus at his cleverest

Why you'll hate it: Not that much good content

After all these years, I finally stopped and thought about it.  Why has Stephen Malkmus been so universally beloved? Yeah, I get that he is talented and writes fun songs… but never anything with real emotional resonance.  Malkmus doesn’t strike a chord with romantics (he outright mocks them in his latest album, Wig Out At Jigbags).  I can’t think of a single song of his that speaks to his audience on an even level.  Truth comes in the form of a wink, but never introspection.  Heck, even counter-counter-culture wiseguys who rant about that “smarmy hipster” culture, never really seem to tear into Malkmus.  The man is indie-rock’s Jon Stewart.  Anything you throw his way, he can deflect with a simple “Hey, I’m just a humble comedian songwriter, having fun.”

Stephen Malkmus is so charming, you almost want to hate him, but justifiably can’t.  Not with songs as catchy as “Chartjunk”.  Lyrics like “I put the I in team like no other” prove that even when (sarcastically?) sounding like a total jerk, he can put a smile on your face.  It never has really mattered if he’s writing pure nonsense.  He has a way with words that you can enjoy without knowing the meaning.  The only other man I know to do that in this era is Beck.  The silliness of “Cinnamon & Lesbians” is his scapegoat from the accusations that fall on other songwriters of being too pretentious or clever.  The non-sequiturs on this song MUST be intentionally stupid.

In the few tracks where you do get the joke, it’s often a reward.  “Houston Hades” is a brilliant critique on the lies we tell ourselves and drag others into, just to have a Hollywood love story.  As usual, it’s presented in a way that makes the bitter pill easy to swallow.  The only song that I feel is too on the nose, and therefore a bit scathing, is “Rumble At The Rainbo”; a dressing down of old punks clinging to their prime.

I don’t often focus on songwriting when looking into an album, but the usual jam-band antics of The Jicks are restrained on these sessions.  Many of the songs are short, and the solos are infrequent.  The relaxed pace and increased amount of snark makes Wig Out At Jigbags the most Pavement like of The Jicks’ discography.  As a result, a few songs fall flat where a good old fashioned 4 minute bridge could have given it some personality.

The Jicks do little more here than go with the flow, leaving Wig Out At Jigbags to rest squarely on Malkmus’ underachieving smart-aleck shoulders.  If that gets on your nerves, just repeat to yourself “It’s just an album.  I should really just relax.”

----------------------
[END OF THE YEAR UPDATE] - A lot of this album has fallen by the wayside for me.  A shame because "Chartjunk" and "Houston Hades" are two of my favorite Malkmus songs ever.  Nothing else here seems to be anywhere on their level, sadly.