So Stephen Malkmus and The Jicks’ last album, ‘Mirror Traffic’, was produced by Beck, and is set to be released on August 23rd; of course, NPR is always here to give you a preview and you can listen to it on their page:
http://www.npr.org/2011/08/14/138957392/first-listen-stephen-malkmus-and-the-jicks-mirror-traffic
I haven’t fully listened to it, but some songs seem more accessible than your average Malkmus’ tune, and the mellow quiet ‘No One is (As I Are Be)’, which slowly unfolds with this nice horn and keyboard-harmonica at the end, sounds really familiar; there is even a video showing little children and what seems to be happy memories. Familiar? Of course, it is really inspired from Bobbie Gentry’s ‘Ode to Billie Joe’!
I am not a Malkmus’ fan, it has always been quite difficult for me to enter into his universe, as his delivery can be errr… edgy, despite the witty lyrics, and his music a little confusing or messy?
But if you like this kind of thing, there is still plenty of it on the album, since it is difficult to really hear Beck’s influence except may be on the previously cited song.
The New York Times has a nice little piece about the collaboration between the two musicians, and what do you learn? That these 40 something rockers have a kid named after a day of the week (Sunday for Malkmus and Tuesday for Beck), and that they both like Tom Waits and Bjork’s voices.
There is also some allusion to Beck’s technophobia, ‘I bet you never sent an e-mail in your life,’ Malkmus said, ‘I did once but I felt guilty about it,’ answered Beck, to what Malkmus replied ‘That’s a testament to your not using the e-mail, and keeping your mind free.’ …. which sounds very scientologist to me.
Anyway, the two guys are not very close friends, but they have crossed paths on tour, and of course they highly respect each other’s work, Malkmus praising Beck for ‘the attention to how it [an album] actually sounds — if it sounds bad, it was intentionally so’, Beck saying that Pavement was ‘the band that 40 other bands were emulating’.
But there is a big difference between them, Beck lived in LA and became commercially successful, releasing albums on major labels, even producing other artists, when Malkmus moved to Portland and stayed out of the spotlights. And when Beck offered his services to the Jicks’ frontman, Malkmus was not that excited by the idea, according to drummer Janet Weiss:
‘I don’t think Steve Malkmus gets wildly excited about much except fantasy sports. He did invent slacker.’
However, the band said ‘Mr. Hansen had a distinct impact on nearly every aspect of the album, including its clean, sunny spirit; the choice and sound of its instruments; and even the selection of songs the band might have otherwise abandoned.’ Beside some uncomfortable moments during which Weiss thought ‘wow, we have no control over anything that’s happening’, at the end, it turned out all right, ‘and it sounded really awesome.’
And the future for the band? Malkmus is moving to Europe, Janet Weiss has left the Jicks to play with Wild Flag, Beck, who has recently produced Thurston Moore’s album, and is also producing the country musician Dwight Yoakam, did not say much about a possible Beck album in the future.
But for now, if you want to watch the Video for ‘No One Is (As I Are Be)’ By Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks, you will have to go to the New York Times website: