Records of the Week 10/22/11: Three Great Albums From 2011
October 22, 2011 Leave a Comment
Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks – Mirror Traffic
As of now, Mirror Traffic is my favorite album of 2011. Singer/guitarist Stephen Malkmus’ first album post-Pavement reunion (and latest in a long string of awesome solo albums) is a more focused work than some of his past efforts, which makes it a great listening experience. While it features some of Malkmus’ trademark sillyness (Senator has the line “I know what the senator wants is a blowjob”) Mirror Traffic is a little more personal. “Share the Red” is one of his most emotional tracks, where he contemplates being “40 with a kid, living on the grid.” It also features few of the catchiest Jicks songs, “Forever 28″ and “Stick Figures In Love”. “Forever 28″ has one of the most memorable vocal melodies on the album in between electric guitar freakouts while “Stick Figures” moves along at a brisk pace fueled by an infectious guitar line. It doesn’t hurt that the album was produced by Beck, who seems to have a great handle on making Malkmus sound his best.
