Stephen Malkmus: Face The Truth : Music Reviews : Rolling Stone

Album Reviews

Stephen Malkmus' third solo album is his weirdest yet, and that's saying something. On 2001's Stephen Malkmus and 2003's Pig Lib, he mutated the indie-rock sound of Pavement into fantastic new realms of fractured guitar kicks. But for number three, he does what Pavement did on their third album, Wowee Zowee: He wigs out with a bunch of left-field psychedelic-folk ditties, exploring the beauty and strangeness of Syd Barrett or the U.K.'s Kaleidoscope. With guest appearances from the Jicks, his Portland, Oregon, band, Malkmus drifts through stream-of-consciousness stoner poetry ("Zodiac ballet/ Everybody play") and the eight-minute guitar jam "No More Shoes." But his peak is the gentle ballad "Freeze the Saints," where Malkmus murmurs the words "Help me languish here" until he finally achieves the peaceful vibe he's chasing.