Singer Malkmus rediscovers joy of collaboration

By Susan Visakowitz

NEW YORK (Billboard) - Stephen Malkmus' last release, 2005's "Face the Truth," was a mostly one-man affair, the result of what he describes as "me playing around in my basement." But his upcoming "Real Emotional Trash" is a reminder that Malkmus can still play well with others.

Like the ex-Pavement leader's self-titled first solo effort, "Face the Truth" carried only Malkmus' name on its jacket. But "Trash," due March 4 on longtime label Matador, follows more closely in the footsteps of 2003's "Pig Lib" by giving credit to the Jicks, Malkmus' band since 2000, and putting the emphasis back on group dynamics.

Malkmus says that he "wanted to get back to a band sound, to band relationships. I wanted to focus on people making decisions together."

That collaborative spirit is evident everywhere on "Trash." Even more so than "Pig Lib," the new album finds Malkmus & the Jicks turning up the improvisational heat, colliding on hard-rocking, intricate jams that highlight not only Malkmus' understated guitar heroics, but also the finely honed skills of his three bandmates, especially new drummer Janet Weiss.

Matador general manager Patrick Amory says there's "no question" that Weiss' arrival "has given the band a harder-edged, more forward-thrusting sound. There's less whimsy, less twisted pop on this record."

Malkmus adds that Weiss, former drummer for iconic alt-rock band Sleater-Kinney, is "committed to her life in music, and I can use a little bit of prodding because, well, I can be kind of complacent. She comes in and pushes things up a notch."

Accenting the improvisational component of the Jicks' music was one way Weiss pushed. "Any band I'm in I definitely try to challenge the other players to experiment," she says. "Luckily with the Jicks they'd already done some of that experimenting in the past."

Malkmus' projects have always enjoyed the support of members of the jam band community -- Trey Anastasio once name-checked Pavement as his favorite band and would cover the band's songs live with Phish. In subsequent years the Jicks have flirted with longer and longer workouts, culminating in the new album's multipart, 10-minute-plus title track.