Alternative rock legend Stephen Malkmus on his new folk album and the return of his group sidewalk from the 90s

Singer and guitarist Stephen Malkmus became one of the most respected voices in modern rock when his band Pavement arrived on the scene 30 years ago. The group has recorded a number of critically acclaimed records such as Tilted and enchanted (1992), Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain (1994) and Light up the corners (1997) which often appear on the lists of "best albums" of music critics. While Malkmus is reluctant to talk about his legacy today, his influence can be heard through the current crop of indie rock artists, be it the frenzied pop-punk of musicians such as Jeff Rosenstock or rock indie oriented groove and boastful of a group like Wolf Parade.

After Pavement was discontinued in 1999, Malkmus entered the second phase of his career as leader of the Jicks, who recorded seven well-received albums. Recently, he moved away from the indie rock genre, without the Jicks, starting with electronics-dominated 2019 Groove refused. Now he is making another stylistic and radical musical departure with Traditional techniques, a folk album from the 60s which will be released on March 6. Traditional techniques invokes at the same time the simplicity of troubadours of narration like Bob Dylan and Leonard Cohen, but turns into the psychedelia which recalls The Doors. Nevertheless, this is a record for an audience of 2020.

Malkmus, 53, will of course be on tour to support Traditional techniques in North America, starting March 31 in Minneapolis. But here is great news: he will also find Pavement in June at the Primavera Sound festival in Spain and Portugal. Malkmus talked about it with Newsweek. Edited extracts:

What inspired you to make a folk album?

I was sort of curious to see what my songs would be through this prism. This wish combined with the possibility of doing so, because Chris Funk (of the independent rock group The Decemberists), who helped organize it, offered me the relatively easy ability to bring a group together so that this is happening in my hometown. I would say these two things: opportunity and desire.

Which artists influenced this album?

From song to song, I imagined myself as a sort of existential troubadour in the Gordon Lightfoot style, somewhat melancholy and singing in a lower register with a little more gravity than some of the things I do and quieter. Certain voices or certain styles of song arose in my head. I would sound like Lou Reed for a second, or even folk things like Bert JanschBob Dylan itself. Lots of guys from the 60s.

Is there a common thread running through the lyric album? Or do you see them as individual songs?

It is difficult for me to be the arbiter of this. I don't necessarily think that way. When I said I was the existential troubadour, which is a bit ridiculous, I don't know what to say. If you notice something, tell me and I will probably agree.

I'm always curious to know if an artist thinks of an album as a whole when he or she writes it, or if it just goes from song to song.

I would like to use a language that was of our time and not completely retro. Sometimes, if it sounds like it was made on a porch or in an Afghan carpet studio bathed in incense, I don't think I want the lyrics to just take you back to the incense and the pepper mint. I used a bit of my jargon and modern ideas to update some of our neuroses today (laughs).

My favorite song on the album is "The Greatest Own in Legal History". Can you tell me more about the writing and recording of this song?

Originally, I imagined it as one of the sweetest ballads of Big Star (70s power pop group) in terms of melody, but then it slowed down and then I & # 39; 39; perhaps was vocally in a Bob Dylan sound. I came up with the slogan: I was on something "bigger clean". When I got to "Legal History", I was like, "Okay, this will be a slightly defensive but serious public defense lawyer." He will just inflate his young client to let him know that he sympathizes, that he is there in his corner and that he is going to save him. He begins to write himself. You get some cinematic images in your head and on your way to the races.

Songs like "Shadowbanned" and "Brainwashed" have a modern feel, but there is also a classic timeless sense that comes from folk presentation. Are you trying to write more timelessly or at the moment?

A song like "Shadowbanned" is totally at the moment to the point of being part of the lingo and thoughts will be considered silly there, internet-y, gnashing of teeth maybe (laughs). Music goes in a way that is not it. These are formats strong enough to sing what you want in a way. One thing I had to do was make the songs simple enough by certain standards, because everyone had to learn the songs on the fly. Hopefully this creates a different feeling than roots rock. If people are looking for it when they check out their playlist, "give me soft rock", it's going to be a little bit of cognitive dissonance. I could have used that too in a song.

You've made three albums in the past three years: indie rock Sparkle Hard, electronics Groove refused, and now folk inspiration Traditional techniques. How gender aware are you when you make a record? And do you see yourself experimenting with other genres in the future?

In this case, I was pretty aware. For the past 17 years I have just made records, and they identify as indie due to the audience and the state of electric guitar music which is neither Nickelback nor metal . Even though it is probably closer to a rock & roll that was not independent when it was created, it identifies itself like that. For the future, it's open. I don't think I'm going to try to make a modern Nashville country sound or a genre that is outside of my signifiers, but there is a way to do it, just like the Traditional techniques it & # 39; sa new approach.

So we can't expect a gangster rap or death metal record?

I can't rap. I tried to snatch this sinking boat just when I try it. I don't have a voice for that. And metal, I'm not really good at playing fast, and I don't like fast music.

You have worked fairly consistently with the Jicks since the early 2000s. What was it like to record an album with another group of musicians?

It’s different. I think I develop a certain style of working with people, which has many advantages and concepts of loyalty, teamwork and shared existence. These are the things with the Jicks that I have. But when you play with someone else, inevitably, you get more surprises. It gives me a chance to play a different role. Giving up some control was pretty cool.

Pavement is celebrating its 30th anniversary with appearances at Primavera Sound festivals. How do you see your influence and the influence of Pavement on indie rock and pop music in general?

It's hard to think about it without appearing to be really great. All I can say is that I'm really glad people want to hear these songs. I will do my best to ensure that the period is correct. Pavement is going to try a 90s sound and make these songs as they were then.

Are there new artists that you think are an extension of what Pavement has done?

I love all kinds of genres. If we're only talking about guitar music, it's hard for me to want to put this on another band or something. Of course, there have been groups that have been mentioned in the same Courageous Prosecutor's Office, and I like them very much. They do their own thing, and they probably don't even want to hear that. I guess I'm a little careful to say what we influenced: like real estate doesn't look like Pavement. They are good. Postal mail. Everyone has a distinct voice, but I know what you mean.

Traditional techniques released on March 6 on Matador Records.

---

---

Start with Stephen Malkmus

Tilted and enchanted (1992)

Pavement's early 1992 is also often referred to as a 90s classic. The album is a bit rougher than the group's latest work, but songs like "Summer Babe" and "Zurich Is Stained" are clearly predecessors of what Pavement would accomplish throughout the decade.

---

Stephen Malkmus (2001)

The singer's first solo album, released two years after Pavement's dissolution, is one of Malkmus' best works. The album saw him write songs that both resembled commercial jingles like "Phantasies" and thoughtful ballads, like the "Vague Space" tinged with gospel.

---

Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain (1994)

Pavement's second album, often considered the best, is an independent classic. Songs like "Cut Your Hair" and "Gold Soundz" are essential songs from the 1990s that define the decade, combining catchy garage rock with clever and often self-conscious lyrics. The reissue of the album in 2004 also contains lesser-known gems like "Nail Clinic".

---

Sparkle Hard (2018)

Malkmus' latest album with the Jicks has the same contagious writing as one would expect from singer-songwriter, but it pushes the limits more than other bandas releases with directly political titles like "Bike Lane" and "Shiggy" and tinted country tracks like "Refute", starring Kim Gordon.