Stephen Malkmus And The Jicks - Wig Out At Jagbags (Album Review)
Friday, 10 January 2014
Written by Gavin Rees
Contrary to what its title may suggest, there’s precious little wigging out going on here. ‘Wig Out At Jagbags’, the latest solo release from former Pavement frontman Stephen Malkmus, is one of the more straightforward records in his recent canon, offering up witty, charming alt-pop tunes with a few prog splatters.
Edging ever further from the shadow cast by Pavement - this is his sixth record with the Jicks - Malkmus has produced a breezy collection, similar in many ways to the Beck-produced ‘Mirror Traffic’, on which the diversions that crop up from time to time don’t derail the overall journey.
The loose-limbed Houston Hades or the prog-folk mash-up of The Janitor Revealed find Malkmus in playful mood, his clipped melodies complemented by wandering guitar lines and backing vocals that do their best conjure a few rays of sunshine from the depths of January. The slow-burning Independence Street, meanwhile, is delightfully languid in its approach.
Even in its few underwhelming moments, the muddled Shibboleth, uneven Surreal Teenagers or throwaway Scattegories, ‘Wig Out At Jagbags’ is endearing company.
It’s not going to kick down the front door of Pavement’s legacy and set up shop, but that’s quite clearly not the point. Want your indie pop with a knowing smile and sense of fun? Yeah, so does Stephen Malkmus.
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