Stephen Malkmus has officially entered the stage of his career where he does not give a care what anyone expects from him, and he's going to remind listeners of that on each record he releases. I'm sure the burden of people wanting to hear "Cut Your Hair", or even "Discretion Grove" over and over again is a big one to carry. Still, his new album, Traditional Techniques, out now via Matador Records, finds Malkmus taking the sort of risks that would have seemed far more impressive and dramatic had they not come less than a year after the faux-electronica of Groove Denied, and not even two years after the last spry album with The Jicks, Sparkle Hard. Had this one been Stephen's first long-player after a few years away, I think it would seem more majestic and mysterious. As it is, the folk-rock here seems yet another genre that post-2010 Malkmus is eager to dabble in. After electronica and folk, one can only hope that 2021 doesn't bring a rap release from the former Pavement leader. Still, there are some charms here.
While lead singles "Xian Man" and "Shadowbanned" didn't really push any buttons for me beyond a few intellectual ones -- "Oh, look what Malkmus is up to now!" -- other cuts here on Traditional Techniques, like "The Greatest Own in Legal History", for instance, see Malkmus use a lighter touch. On a number like this one, Stephen maintains a firm grip on the methodology here, such that things don't seem like he's just dabbling in another genre, you know? "What Kind of Person" is another selection that utterly charmed me, Malkmus here employing one of his loveliest melodies in ages in the service of a track that's not too far away from being described as a spry spin on what Bonnie "Prince" Billy usually cranks out. The presence here on Traditional Techniques of Billy collaborator Matt Sweeney adds to that vibe, I'm sure.
And while the Dylan-aping "Signal Western" and "Amberjack" close out the record with far more success than with which it started, I can't quite rave about Traditional Techniques. I understand what he's doing here, and, intellectually, there's pleasure in hearing Stephen Malkmus attempt something different than what he's done before. In that sense, there's a lot to recommend about this record, even as at times for me it felt like Malkmus was just starting to find his way here. Still, there are beautiful moments here, and many indications that Stephen Malkmus is capable of once again surprising listeners and long-time fans with his facility to find a hook in the most unexpected of places.
Traditional Techniques is out now via Matador Records.
More details on Stephen Malkmus via the official website, or the official Facebook page.
[Photo: Samuel Gehrke]