Malkmus finds solo career liberating

Stephen Malkmus has always dealt in irony, so maybe we should have seen this coming. His solo albums sound much more like full-band efforts than the records he made with Pavement or at least all Pavement records post Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain. I was inclined to say that after his 2001 self-titled solo debut, and I am even more sure of it after listening to his latest, Pig Lib.\nThe Malkmus I saw in concert two years ago looked like the weight of the world was off his shoulders. He even smiled, and it wasn't one of those I-just-made-fun-of-Stone-Temple-Pilots smiles that marked the occasional immaturity that crept into his music.\nSo what happened with Pavement? Well, from what we can tell, he didn't trust the musicianship of his fellow Pavement-ers. After all, what did Bob Nastanovich do in that band anyway? The solo Malkmus sounds incredibly self-assured on Pig Lib. Between the lines, it's almost as if Malkmus says, "See, this is what I wanted to do with Pavement." \nWhile later-period Pavement delved into sloppiness, Pig Lib sees Malkmus and his Jicks laid-back but deceptively tight. When he tries something new like singing falsetto, it doesn't sound like a goof but a legitmiate attempt to reinvent himself. There's also a guitar epic or two, something that isn't Malkmus' trademark but something he does very well. Malkmus doesn't rely on power chords to get by, but instead on tension and release as he has a knack for getting your attention and wrapping it around his dextrous fingers. \nIf Kurt Cobain was the voice of his generation for projecting his ennui and rage, Malkmus was the voice of his generation for projecting his book-learned disaffectations. Malkmus was too caught up in his artistry to ever be bothered. While it is well-known that Cobain wanted to be a rock star, Malkmus became an indie-rock living legend without really trying or at least being sly about it. \nMany critics liked Malkmus' lyrics on Pavement records like Terror Twilight, when he started getting more personal on songs like "Spit on a Stranger." To them, the obtuse, sarcastic lyrics on the 1992 classic Slanted and Enchanted and its only slightly less great 1994 follow-up Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain, which only allowed him to avoid his real feelings. \nI always rebuffed those critics. After all, Slanted and Enchanted and Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain rocked harder. And, otherwise, so what? Malkmus has to know that after he slammed the Smashing Pumpkins in "Range Life" on Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain, my Pavement fanatacism reverted to closet status. \nMalkmus' lyrics on Pig Lib are sketchier, which is a good thing. While his older lyrics often made him seem obsessed with how the music industry works and how the industry will pay more attention to him, he now has become more extroverted. He mixes the personal in with the weird. He sees the details in every picture. He's still laid-back, but he knows what he is doing. \nNow it's 2003 and it's about time Malkmus figure out what he wants to say and with whom he wants to play. Instead, we have a guy ready to coast into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame around 2017 or so. Billy Corgan will be his presenter.