Stephen Malkmus & the Jicks: 5/6 - 2000

5
2000
B-sides only studio, Linnton, Oregon

Leisurely poison
Vague space
Malay Massaker
Open and shut cases
('Phantasies'/'Discretion grove' b-sides)

Good kids eggs
(2002 All tomorrow's parties 1.1)

Sex life of Robinson Crusoe pt 2
(online b-side)

But oh, what mess is this?!

Sometime in 2000 Malkmus (alone? sure sounds like it) turned up at B-sides Only Studio in Linnton, Oregon, seemingly without an idea in the world. Maybe he thought he could do a 'Nashville skyline' – just letting the material come easy. He figured without the studio's code that any recording made there must strictly adhere to the studio's name. 'Hey, watch it – b-sides only here!'

Then again, intrigued by the name I tried to locate this fabled studio on the internet, but I can't find anything. I'm open to the suggestion it's just one more alias for Stephen's garage and these are some of the home demos in which Stephen formulated the ideas that would make up his debut solo album.

For a long while I didn't think of these scattered tracks too kindly. In his time in Pavement this stuff would've never made it out as even a b-side, I felt. Surely, when it comes to pure songwriting, we know he's got a chest of drawers of unreleased songs better than this.

'Vague space' (b-side version) is pointless – just a rerun (prerun?) of the final version. 'Malay massaker' is a massacre of 'Troubbble' with all the spirit sucked out and limp synths inserted. It's bad and the portion is so large. 'Leisurely poison' sounds like it was made up on the spot – it's got a little something but not enough to last its 100 seconds.

I don't know for sure that 'Open and shut cases' and 'Good kid eggs' were recorded in the same timeframe but they sound it. Only they're a little better. I quite like 'Open and shut cases', with its private detective, hard boiled noir fiction theme. I like to imagine it as Ed Ames's afterlife. There's a slinky minimalist groove in it. 

'Good kids eggs' was released in 2002 on festival compilation 'All tomorrow's parties 1.1'. It may be from an entirely different session, but it's in that same ilk. It's got a zany catchy four chord riff and some bleeping keyboards, and it's out the door before you really mind.

My opinion started mellowing when I finally heard 'Sex life of Robinson Crusoe pt 2'. The jewel of these recordings. One of the most obscure of obscure Malkmus songs. And a song to match that reputation. A total keyboard hallucination. Find it somewhere. It's unbelievable. 

I started hearing all this music in a new light. Yes, it's a mess and it's clumsy and weird - and if we can't turn to Stephen Malkmus for messy, clumsy weirdness, who can we turn to? Now I can't get enough of it.

6
2000?
Blue rash intact (Quarantined hallucinations due to severe allergies)

Malkmus's contribution to 'wild and zany' Portland-scene comic book/rock opera multi-artist collaboration 'Colonel Jeffrey Pumpernickel' album. I've never heard the album.

Add 'Blue rash intact' to the above 6 tracks plus 'Robyn turns 26', 'Decouvert de soleil', 'Porpoise and the hand grenade' and 'Rooftop gambler' and you've got your own Stephen Malkmus synthesizer mini-album. If you're up to it. (I did and I love it!)

'Blue rash intact' is barely comprehensible. The singer slurs like a reckless drunk driver chasing the white line – it may or not be Stephen Malkmus. I can't positively identify the voice anyway. The backing is a minimalist programmed drum with a one note bassline -this is wilfully amateur stuff. If you told me it's terrible, I'd have a hard time arguing against it.

The sooner it's included in the Jicks' concert repertoire the better! I'd be thrilled.