Stephen Malkmus - Stephen Malkmus 2001 original, 1st pressing. 150-gram Audiophile quality Matador Records - OLE 4441 Vinyl is VG++ to Mint-, mostly Mint-: some very faint and minor "background" wear during some quiet passages and between the tracks. Cover is VG++ to Mint-, mostly Mint-: very small and minor corner-bends on right-side with shrink and stickers. Custom inner-sleeve is VG++ with minor, faint creases, bends and wear; seams are intact. Labels are VG++ or better with minor manufacturer imperfections. Out of Print

Much like ' , 's swan song, , sounded a lot like a disguised solo album from the group's chief singer/songwriter, . The album's polished production and earnest, ambitious songwriting -- not to mention lack of songs -- sounded miles away from the playful, slightly chaotic rock that made albums like  and  so exciting. Yet ' actual solo debut, aptly named, reclaims some of the energetic creativity of 's best albums. In fact, it sounds like the most fun he's had in a studio since . This may be because he didn't have to deal with the confines and expectations of a new  album;  didn't originally plan to release the album through Matador, which possibly removed some of the pressure to make a "statement" with this collection. Which is good, because instantly catchy, zany songs like "Troubbble" might not have made it to the album.  begins with a rush of these vibrantly playful songs, including "Phantasies," a fey mix of falsetto vocals, pennywhistles, handclaps, marimbas, and other bizarre musical non sequiturs, and "JoJo's Jacket," a whimsical, stream-of-consciousness ode to : "Perhaps you saw me in Westworld/I acted like a robotic cowboy/It was my best role/I cannot deny/I felt right home deep inside/that electronic carcass." Like most of the album, these songs take a few aspects of what made  great and magnify them. The beautiful, chiming "Church on White" is one of ' best sweeping, emotional guitar epics since "Grounded" or "Fin"; "Vague Space" and "Deado"'s sweet, quirky romanticism balances earnestness and irony in the way  tried to on, but avoids that album's oddly distant sound. And while the surprisingly straightforward rocker "Discretion Grove" and "Trojan Curfew" -- a pretty, countrified ballad about the Trojan War that rhymes "doric arch" with "pyhrric march" -- could have fit on 's later works,  does feature some twists and turns that differentiate the album from ' old band. The groovy keyboards laced through songs like "Pink India" and "Jennifer and the Ess-Dog," a funny, poignant ballad about a neo-hippie couple going their separate ways, give the album different textures than those  explored. Likewise, the y tale about being a pirate, "The Hook" -- which sounds like the ship's crew is listening to a bar band while taking a rum break -- just doesn't seem like the type of song  would have recorded at the end of their career. Actually, the song that sounds the most like late-'90s , the chugging album opener "Black Book," is the most out of place with the rest of ' fun, lighthearted tone. Though placing most of the zippy, instantly catchy songs near the top of the album works against it somewhat, as a whole it's refreshingly free of the typical solo debut's gravity and earnestness. By keeping things light,  -- the album and, very likely, the person -- defies heavy analysis from critics and fans. No, it's not quite the same as another  album, but its literate, funny eclecticism is almost as irresistible.

-allmusic

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