Real Emotional Trash

One of Stephen Malkmus' best albums

Born and raised in sunny California musician Stephen Malkmus became famous yet in the 1980s as a front man of band Pavement, which was dismissed in 1999. He has also managed to be a member of collective The Silver Jews for a short period of time, and today collaborates with effeminate band The Jicks, releasing this year the fourth album with it, Real Emotional Trash, the first one with the participation of a new drummer Janet Weiss from Sleater-Kinney. Probably it is the more powerful than before drums or perhaps the birth of the second child last year that have inspired Stephen Malkmus to write such amazingly melodious songs and complex ironically humorous lyrics. Yet one thing clear is that Real Emotional Trash has become one of the singer's best albums pleasing with its mood and although it does not reveal at once all its nuances its psychedelic sound and the Stephen's recognizable manner of performance will conquer you at the very first minute.

Never feeling bored with Real Emotional Trash

Practically the whole Real Emotional Trash consists of tracks around five or six minutes long, and the title composition even spreads its limits over ten minutes, but they are by no means dragged, but on the contrary interesting and contagious, and the record on the whole is listened at a breath. The album'’s first composition Dragonfly Pie is one of the loudest here, with absolutely stunning guitar riffs and Stephen's voice. Reflective mid-tempo song Hopscotch Willy is refined with a complicated melody difficult to imitate, whereas Cold Son, on the contrary, is remarkable for a melodious catchy chorus. The title song is a slower number on which Stephen sings along with his guitar. Gradually the song increases the tempo and turns into what is reflected in its title, a flow of emotions expressed in all possible instruments, voice included. Reaching almost a seven minute length track Out Of Reaches is refined with pleasant keyboards and presents rather a calm song of the album, and Baltimore sounds practically like classic indie song once again surprising with the gradation of force. One of the most interesting tracks here is Elmo Delmo: its varied mood reminds a short story with all the stages of the plot development, and the final composition Wicked Wanda sounds more like a sullen psychedelic lullaby with which, however, you are sure never to get bored.

Indie rock as it should be

Stephen Malkmus seems to have finally understood what the audience has been expecting from him during all these years, and although the previous works have been far from bad, it is the new record on which he has managed to concentrate all the best features of his creative work. Without acting against one's conscience one can state that Real Emotional Trash is a true masterpiece, offering music that is hard and tickling the ear at the same time, indie rock as it should be. At last the singer's creative search is crowned with success; the new album is really well done. His manner of performance with distinct pronouncing of each single syllable makes one unwillingly listen to the words in which there are a lot of jokes, irony and simply witty rhymes. Meanwhile he is accompanying to himself with the guitar so skillfully that it becomes a part of a duet Stephen – guitar, and on Real Emotional Trash his mastery is at its zenith. Hopefully this record is not Mr. Malkmus last successful work and soon he will probably please us with the same soulfully powerful and vivid music once again.