Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks - Mirror Traffic (CD, Double vinyl LP)

Shit yeah, this more like it! Summer prison is getting me down real low, so a little waxy reminder of why I even bother getting up in the morning to serve this evil fucker we all know too well as the music industry is obviously welcomed. Malkmus and his bunch of merry Jicks return with yet another fine collection of songs that sound like sweet sweet music to my ears (as opposed to a bunch of tossed off crap I usually have to endure), you remember music right? People playing together in the same room? Melodies? Drums? Amusing lyrical anecdotes and observations free of emotional pretensions? Guitar solos? Crazy Horse? Yeah, this is music worship, not sound collaging for the sake of it!!! Not sure how much detail it's worth going into here but I should probably mention that 'Mirror Traffic' is produced by Beck and sounds absolutely marvellous. Kinda like 'Brighten The Corners': you know, produced but not over-produced. Also worth noting is the description of Mr. Malkmus in the 'Meet The Professionals' section of the back sleeve; 'Mr. Malkmus is an avid family camper and songwriter. As a Scout Master he initiated troops of San Fernando Boy Scouts into the fraternity of shredding. He has taught Tennis in the valley'. That's all you really need to know. Malkmus shreds, Malkmus is a consistently hard working player, Malkmus is lyrically witty, Malkmus can fit anything he wants to discuss into any song he wants to write, Malkmus has made my ears worth owning, Malkmus can walk away from one of worlds greatest bands (PAVEMENT) and still make outstandingly good rock music without the fear of rejection from his fans and peers. He just doesn't give a fuck, or at least I hope that's the case. 'Asking Price', 'Share The Red' and 'Stick Figures In Love' are three of his finest compositions to date and are a welcome reminder of the lad's charm. 'Stick Figures..' in particular I could play 10 times over right now. I'd say this is the most consistently rewarding Jicks LP so far. I like them all but this one seems particularly focused, kinda ambitious too. Okay, I'll leave it at that, I'm not Everett True. It's only my first listen so I'm all giddy with genuine excitement.