Audio CD review:
Stephen Malkmus - Pig Lib

Stephen Malkmus - Pig Lib

Band: Stephen Malkmus Title: Pig Lib Rating: Release Date: 21 April, 2003 Media: Audio CD Tracks: 1: Water And A Seat 2: Ramp Of Death 3: (Do Not Feed The )Oyster 4: Vanessa From Queens 5: Sheets 6: Animal Midnight 7: Dark Wave 8: Witch Mountain Bridge 9: Craw Song 10: 1% Of One 11: Us

Editoral Review His second solo album is the logical extension of those moments when Pavement cautiously approached the classic-rock canon, albeit from an oblique angle. As an indie paragon since the early '90s, it's inevitable that Stephen Malkmus would want to make music that falls closer to traditional rock. Initially, it's hard-going for listeners. Where Malkmus's self-titled debut accentuated his flirtatious, pop-friendly inclinations, Pig Lib is gnarlier and more expansive. At times, it's uncharacteristically earnest, as if Malkmus was trying to defuse those usual jibes of archness with a sustained bout of jamming. Persevere, though, and Pig Lib's excellence is revealed. The two most obvious influences on spindly, febrile epics like "1% of One" and "Witch Mountain Bridge" are Television and Fairport Convention; Malkmus is particularly proficient at highlighting the affinities between New York art punk and British folk-rock through his notably improved guitar playing. Less rock-oriented souls, meanwhile, will be heartened by evidence of his continuing Ray Davies fetish on "Vanessa from Queens" and, especially, the "Waterloo Sunset"-styled "Craw Song. " This is an album that, if lived with and nurtured, amply repays the kindness. --John Mulvey .. You can see a complete list of all Stephen Malkmus discography, or go back to the Stephen Malkmus tabs