Stephen Malkmus & the Jicks - Sparkle Hard
Coincidentally, I listened to Pavement's Slanted & Enchanted (1992) and Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain (1994) earlier this week. It seemed fitting to end the week with ex-Pavement singer/songwriter Stephen Malkmus, now being able to hear exactly how he began recording and where he has ended up. And though I believe his 2018 effort Sparkle Hard deserves merit on its own, it made everything on the album far more fascinating immediately after hearing his early classic works - not in a comparative sense, but more in a "let's see how far he's come" sense.
Let me explain: almost all music criticism I read nowadays is really concerned with where an album sits in a ranking of the artist's discography. "[blank] stands as one of the greatest records [blank] has ever made..." "songs '[blank]' and '[blank]' help elevate this record to the bands most [blank] album yet..." In theory, it makes sense to only compare a band to itself, or to extremely similar bands. No one is out there critically comparing Nirvana to Miles Davis. But listening to what is essentially old and new Stephen Malkmus, I can't help but question this critical method as well - so much so that I felt driven to write the most unique review I could think up. As a testament to the album's quality, all I could hear listening to Sparkle Hard was the human growth and change that accompanied it. And it was really, really inspiring.
Because of how the system of music criticism has designed itself, no new indie album can be "better" than those two Pavement albums. I mean, they are both on almost any top 10 classic indie album list you can find online, which is a feat in itself. However, to say Sparkle Hard is "worse" than those two albums is a gross understatement. Listeners will be much more rewarded considering Malkmus' artistic progression, as he has slowly incorporated more mature and diverse elements into his music over the course of 25 years. The album actually becomes even more impressive considering the history of Pavement; Malkmus was able to reconcile as being the driving force of one of the most important bands of the 90s and was able to grow musically instead of letting himself get bogged down with trying to copy the sound of his most famous work. He understands, now being 25 years older, that in moving on from his youth he can continue to make real music by doing just that: feeling real and connecting to his own reality.
To those reading: don't let yourself get concerned even with how this album ranks with the other The Jicks albums. Don't even think about it in terms of 2018 indie. I instead encourage you to listen while opening yourself to how we as humans communicate through music. For Malkmus, his inspiration must have been bringing together those parts of music history that made up his own story and synthesizing it all in a unique, highly personal way, all while avoiding the typical “confessional” structure that pervades many other genres. The opener “Cast Off” is not just a song but an introduction to the album experience, balancing its slow piano-and-distorted-guitar driven juxtapositions with the uptempo, off-kilter beats of “Future Suite.” Later, “Bike Lane” brings in Malkmus’ abstract surreal lyrics to an album peak, all while trying to match pop sensibility with grunge-y jams and riffs. Let’s not forget the very atypical “singles” choices, particularly “Refute” and “Shiggy,” which pretty well sum up the extremes of Malkmus, the obscured, coolly rocking Yin and the fiery but melodious Yang. Combine those with the surprising electronics of “Rattler” and the expansive 7-minute epic closer “Difficulties - Let Them Eat Vowels” and you have a thoroughly engaging, unique but emotionally grounded piece of work.
Both musically and emotionally, the album is as connected to Malkmus’ musical maturity as it could have possibly been; and for that alone, I’d consider it a success. Honestly, in the mixed-up state of modern music nowadays, I would say that’s the most important success we can ask for right now.
Let me explain: almost all music criticism I read nowadays is really concerned with where an album sits in a ranking of the artist's discography. "[blank] stands as one of the greatest records [blank] has ever made..." "songs '[blank]' and '[blank]' help elevate this record to the bands most [blank] album yet..." In theory, it makes sense to only compare a band to itself, or to extremely similar bands. No one is out there critically comparing Nirvana to Miles Davis. But listening to what is essentially old and new Stephen Malkmus, I can't help but question this critical method as well - so much so that I felt driven to write the most unique review I could think up. As a testament to the album's quality, all I could hear listening to Sparkle Hard was the human growth and change that accompanied it. And it was really, really inspiring.
Because of how the system of music criticism has designed itself, no new indie album can be "better" than those two Pavement albums. I mean, they are both on almost any top 10 classic indie album list you can find online, which is a feat in itself. However, to say Sparkle Hard is "worse" than those two albums is a gross understatement. Listeners will be much more rewarded considering Malkmus' artistic progression, as he has slowly incorporated more mature and diverse elements into his music over the course of 25 years. The album actually becomes even more impressive considering the history of Pavement; Malkmus was able to reconcile as being the driving force of one of the most important bands of the 90s and was able to grow musically instead of letting himself get bogged down with trying to copy the sound of his most famous work. He understands, now being 25 years older, that in moving on from his youth he can continue to make real music by doing just that: feeling real and connecting to his own reality.
To those reading: don't let yourself get concerned even with how this album ranks with the other The Jicks albums. Don't even think about it in terms of 2018 indie. I instead encourage you to listen while opening yourself to how we as humans communicate through music. For Malkmus, his inspiration must have been bringing together those parts of music history that made up his own story and synthesizing it all in a unique, highly personal way, all while avoiding the typical “confessional” structure that pervades many other genres. The opener “Cast Off” is not just a song but an introduction to the album experience, balancing its slow piano-and-distorted-guitar driven juxtapositions with the uptempo, off-kilter beats of “Future Suite.” Later, “Bike Lane” brings in Malkmus’ abstract surreal lyrics to an album peak, all while trying to match pop sensibility with grunge-y jams and riffs. Let’s not forget the very atypical “singles” choices, particularly “Refute” and “Shiggy,” which pretty well sum up the extremes of Malkmus, the obscured, coolly rocking Yin and the fiery but melodious Yang. Combine those with the surprising electronics of “Rattler” and the expansive 7-minute epic closer “Difficulties - Let Them Eat Vowels” and you have a thoroughly engaging, unique but emotionally grounded piece of work.
Both musically and emotionally, the album is as connected to Malkmus’ musical maturity as it could have possibly been; and for that alone, I’d consider it a success. Honestly, in the mixed-up state of modern music nowadays, I would say that’s the most important success we can ask for right now.
Dude, you're so knowledgeable on these topics. Good stuff!
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