Stephen Malmus & the Jicks: 69/70 - 2007

69
April 2007 – Snowghost, Whitefish, Montana?
June 2007 – Foxtrot, Chicago, Illinois?
Mr Jolly
Walk into the mirror
Pennywhistle thunder

Homerecording?
Carl the clod
(released on 'Cold son' single / 'RET' pre-order extras)

The key tracks from the 'Face the truth' / 'Real emotional trash' era that fell through the cracks were collected on these extras promoting the 'Real emotional trash' release. These songs have popped up before, and for good reason:
– 'Grace / Mr Jolly', the beautiful and direct ballad that fell out of the existential string of songs on 'FTT' (It kills – Mr Jolly – Freeze the saints – Malediction), was probably in line for the 'Post-paint buy' spot on the album (and would've been my preference);
– 'Carl the clod', the germ of 'Real emotional trash', here reduced to its first two minutes. The rest was cannibalized into 'Real emotional trash' (the song);
– 'Pennywhistle thunder', is the leftover multisection jam song from 'Real emotional trash', with its paranoia theme it probably competed with 'Baltimore', the other angry song (here too I would've prefered 'Pennywhistle' but it's close);
– 'Walk into the mirror' is a lost single for sure, and should be near the bottom of every other night's setlist still. Such a groovy and cool song, such a joy. You know I don't dig 'Gardenia' so replacing those two would've made the album near faultless for me. Oh well.

I don't have any information about the recording situation of these tracks. I'd venture that 'Pennywhistle' and 'Walk into the mirror' date from the 'Real emotional trash' album sessions. They share that sound. 'Carl the clod' has all the hallmarks of an elaborate homerecording, probably Stephen solo, with programmed drums, multitracked vocals, some cheesy synths coloring in the sound, and mandolins (!). It could date from after the amputations to write 'Real emotional trash', or it could be an earlier ('Face the truth' era) demo with everything after the first section sliced off. In its long version there was a pause there too, so some scissors could do it. But when was 'Mr Jolly' recorded? It has none of the slurred and manipulated production of 'Face the truth', instead it's a straightforward and clean band performance, with a little extra production, but nothing overdone. So fits in more with 'Real emotional trash'... but then again, why would they rehearse this song (and so well) with Janet, record it and then never pull it out at shows? A late John Moen recording? An uncharacteristic 'Face the truth' outtake?

Anyway, I'm happy they did this release. I wouldn't want to wait for the posthumous box set to hear these great tracks. On a par with the 'Pig lib' bonus disc (and that one was essential). My only complaint is that these tracks didn't make in onto the setlist afterwards, the way the songs from the 'Pig lib' bonus did. This time it was more cleaning out the closet.
Oh, and one more, could they do another one for the lost songs from the 'Mirror traffic' / 'Wig out' era? You know: 'Astral facial', 'Happy', 'Flower children', 'Blind imagination'...

70
2007/07/15, Pitchfork festival, Chicago
Heaven is a truck
Blue arrangements
Unknown cover
Us
Extradition
Loud cloud crowd
Spit on a stranger
Walk into the mirror
Trigger cut
In the mouth a desert
Elmo delmo
We dance

Right after the recording of 'Real emotional trash', I figured the Jicks took a break over the summer of 2007, but they played at least one summer festival (Green Man). Still, for the Pitchfork festival Stephen showed up alone. Simple happenstance or part of a shrewd plan to get back in critical favor? (At least in the favor of one distinctive, prevailing critical internet platform – for better or worse. Hint: it's worse.) We're not used to thinking of him as a music businessman, but I suggest he actually took a damn good look at the times, at his position and took some considered steps to get out of the corner he'd been painted in.

When he starts the set talking about his holidays in Chicago, hanging out at the beach and on the golf court, 'plotting his set' (shades of Dylan at Isle of Wight), I don't believe him but I kinda do. Look at this setlist and how it's catered to the Pitchfork hipster: heavily weighed in favor of Pavement songs, and pretty out of the way choices at that ('Extradition', 'Heaven is a truck'), a Silver Jews nugget (of course), just a couple of Jicks songs. And of course, a special surprise, when Bob Nastanovich emerges from the backstage to thunderous applause to play two Slanted & Enchanted faves ('the only two songs we didn't rehearse').

He knew he needed the 'Malkmus at peace with Pavement past' headlines to get his new direction accepted (if not, he would just be one more 'indie godfather hits the '70s hard rock skids' casualty – no matter how good the record was). No matter that he was doing this kind of solo show for at least a couple of years.

Does it matter? Sure it does, if it results in delightfully irreverent sets like this. You can hardly call anything that he plays a world class performance but it's such shambolic fun. He jumps from freewheeling aside (I'm pretty sure the album version of 'Extradition' doesn't go exactly like that) to casual reinvention ('Loud cloud crowd' – Stephen: 'That's nothing like the album version. It's like how Lou Reed does all his songs live. I had to do that once'.) There are noisy distortion solos everywhere (who needs a bassline or a rhythm?). And of course, it's exciting when Bob comes on – always is, that's his gift.

When unexpectedly there's more time, that's the one time the set stumbles. Why not do one of the new album's songs, say the most cryptically obscure '70s throwback of all, 'Elmo delmo'? You can hear a few thousand people take a step back. (He wins them back with 'We dance', with Bob dancing!).

A final cynical remark: while the press eagerly ate up the 'partial reunion' vibe, there was definite Malkmus reinvention of the Pavement past going on even there. Bobby, for all I love him, and for all the times he played these songs live, but Bobby was not one of the three people who recorded that indie touchstone 'Slanted and enchanted'. Still, the line from this to Bobby's wedding reception to 2010's reunion is clear.

And this is a cool set.