Customer Reviews

Pig Lib

5 star:		(24)
4 star:		(27)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

if i'd had the option, this would have gotten 4 1/2 stars, not five, because the first half of the record is noticeably less inspired than the second, which i would give 13 stars if i could...while the first 5 songs would only receive around 3 1/2. that would average out to about 8 stars, which is damned respectable given that the scale only reaches to 5. seriously, though, this is malkmus' most exciting and giddy musical product in many years, and his growth as a guitar soloist is truly astounding. from "animal midnight" on, i'm enthralled. just try to tear me away. it's really difficult to pick a favorite. i don't get lost in the meanderings of the ten minute opus "one percent of one"--indeed, following the epic threads of the separate and distinct solos is delightful--and i dearly appreciate the brief gut-punch of "dark wave." of the first half, "vanessa from queens" is pleasant, and "do not feed the oyster" is a wonderful romp, but the first and second tracks would have been better b-sides. "sheets", while sporting a memorable chorus that does remind me of better days in pavement, is disposable. perhaps the most pleasant surprise of all is the bonus disc: "dynamic calories" was the first song i really loved after listening to both the LP and the EP, and "ol' jerry" is currently my favorite of all sixteen songs. the dilemma here is consistency. i like the second half of this offering much more than anything on the previous record, but that record is much more solid, unwavering. the solution is simple: replace the first five songs on the album with the full EP, and you've got a perfect record.

No, this album is nowhere near as good as his first solo album. The first one was fun, free and loose. This album is dangerously close to sounding too-thought-out and claustrophobic. It's not as fun, not as spontaneous. In fact, I like the more throwaway type songs on the bonus EP more than the ones on this LP.

Hopefully SM will lighten up for his third.

The Blake Babies!

Particularly, compare "Us" on this album with "Downtime" on Rosy Jack World...

I can't bear to say anything bad about our saviour of the almight lord Pavement. So I'll just say... this album is enjoyable and... adequate. Stephen's quirky lyrics turn songs like "Do Not Feed the Oyster" into songs that Velcro to the side of your head... candles like "Dark Wave" light the windows of our indie homes... but are not the blazing torches of the glory years. Worth picking up, but make no mistake; there is no "Zurich is $tained" in sight.

I bought this album when it came out about a year ago and I have enjoyed it consistantly ever since. I'm glad that I waited this long to review it beause I wanted to see how it aged. I'm listening to it as I write, and let me tell you it has aged with perfection. I didn't become a Pavement fan until they were past their prime, but when I eventually came around it was because of Malkmus' unique songwriting and vocals. I later appreciated the whole band more and I was disappointed that they broke up. I am no longer disappoinnted, because SM & the Jicks are a better band than Pavement was, and "Pig Lib" is their coming out party. If you know anything about SM then you probably know that he is kind of an intellectual hermit who likes to read highbrow novels such as "Independent People" by Haldor Laxness. This quality may turn some people off, but not me. I think it translates perfectly into his songwriting. The lyrics on "Pig Lib" are abstract mostly, and at times very humorous. The most straightforward song on the album is the clever and catchy "Craw Song" which is about a sexually confused love quadrangle. Musically, the album is pretty mellow for the most part, and features some very impressive lead guitar work by Malkmus that borders on prog-style jamming at times. The best example of this is the epic "1% of One", which clocks in at an impressive 9:11.
If you like guitar, this song will you have you drooling. The whole album sort of has a progressive feel to it. "Water and a Seat" is another example of this in which Malkmus lets his guitar do the talking for about the first minute of the song. The hopelessly catchy "(Do not feed the) Oyster" is the most outstanding track on the album. I found it very hard to get out of my head elven months ago and I still do now. Overall this album is one of my favorites and has me thanking Matador records for continuing to release such fine music. They have the best label in music today and if you don't follow their acts then you better start.

I'm a new fan of the Stephen Malkmus empire. I've just recently recieved a couple Pavement records a few months back; ever since then, I've been hopelessly addicted.

I bought Pig Lib happily a few days ago. Fortunately, I got the special "limited" edition -- it's in a digipack, and has a little bonus EP included. How it's still available in stores, almost a year after the release date, is a bit odd, but whatever.

The album itself is interesting. Upon first listen, I'll admit that some of the tracks worked for me, and some certaintly didn't. It was almost a 50/50 thing. Kind of disappointing.

However, the more I listened to the record, the more I seriously enjoyed it. These songs evoke a certain odd feeling inside; I don't know how to explain it. It's a good feeling, that's for sure.

Most of the well-crafted tracks have a somewhat deliberately slow pace, and when you get caught up in it all, it really, really works. "(Do Not Feed The) Oyster" is a classic. The lyrics shine bright in that one. "1% of One" is similar to Pavement's "Fillmore Jive" in that both are abnormally long and sound almost like mini-epics in guitar noodling. They sound improvised, and at the same time, well written. I love "1% of One" so much. Amazing chorus (very fun to sing along to), interesting and well done guitar playing, etc, etc.

The obvious bright moments (that have any chance of commercial success) are "Dark Wave" and "Us." I've read a few Internet reviews of this album, and some have claimed that "Us" sounds nothing like the rest of the album. Not true. It completely feels right as the album closer, and it sounds enough like the rest of the album to work. "Us," by the way, is my favorite track off of this album. It's such a beautiful song.

If you luckily get the limited edition of "Pig Lib," you'll get a little EP that is nothing short of fantastic. The first two songs on there -- "Dynamic Calories" and "Fractions & Feelings," to be specific -- should of been on the real album. Who cares if it was six minutes longer? It would of been even better. "Old Jerry," the other studio song on the EP, is also quite good.

Although I'm giving this album four stars, the limited edition deserves five stars. Those two songs are just too good to ignore. Otherwise, the real album is really good. If you liked any Pavement before, you will have a field day with this one.

Pavement may be gone, but Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks are here -- and God willing, they're here to stay. Malkmus's second solo album irons out the assorted problems of the first, and puts his new non-Pavement music on its own unique turf. It's catchy, fun, complex, and may just be brilliant.

After the quirky folk-rock opener "Water And a Seat," we're treated to melodic rock songs ("Ramp of Death," "Sheets"), polished jam sessions (the exquisitely titled "Do Not Feed the Oyster," "1% of One"), smooth multifaceted pop ("Vanessa From Queens"), and some songs that defy description (the taut, fast, scrapy "Dark Wave").

"Pig Lib" takes the best of jamming and polished studio sound and forces them together. It's refined, but hasn't had the indie-rock sound sucked out of it. A mass of contradictions: it sounds natural and relaxed, both spontaneous and carefully crafted. At times it drops into jam-band turf, before sliding back into Pavement-like rock with complex guitar riffs and spurts of psychedelica.

Malkmus's voice both stands out and blends in. While it isn't drowned out by the music, the music seems like a natural backdrop for him, even if he seems like he's forcing the words out of his mouth. The guitars are fantastic, percussion is solid, and the lyrics are stellar (especially the who-wants-who lyrics. "I kiss and tell/and make life hell/you know what it's about..." -- how much better does it get?).

Stephen Malkmus is up there with Billy Corgan and Thom Yorke as musical geniuses, who can weave complicated and beautiful music time and time again. And "Pig Lib" is a modern masterpiece of sound. A must-have for lovers of good rock.

i'd heard bad stuff about this album so i (foolishly) avoided listening to it until recently. it is, however, really good.

alot of the songs follow odd, folky chord progressions and time signatures which gives the overall feel of pavement gone prog... and it works! this is, in no small way, due to the fact that malkmus' guitarism has improved notably. he can actually pull this stuff off nowadays and i'd even go so far as to call him a decent guitarist. he seems to avoid the bog-standard blues scale in his solos, opting instead for less common modes/scales which provide for more interesting music... it keeps you guessing. malkmus even reminds me of tom verlaine at times.. but maybe that's just me.

in short, malkmus has screwed around with the formula a bit and the resulting album is catchy, fun and challenging - everything we expect from an artist of malkmus' calibre.

favourites (although every song's good) include witch mountain bridge, 1% of 1 (yeah, it does go on a bit), dark wave, water and a seat.

lovely stuff.

Malkmus is back after his self-titled debut, and it's MUCH better. Malkmus's (and the Jick's) first album was eclectic to say the least and although sounding good the first few times, suffered from a lack of musical depth. This time everything is far less eclectic but more "off kilter". It seems SM & The Jicks have found their sound, and it has a lot more depth then their first effort. It occassionally falls into the previous "pop-plus" sound of the first album ('Venessa From Queens' for example) but it recovers with a flourish.

The bonus tracks included in the first edition are also worth tracking down, they REALLY rock too.

It isn't Pavement (if you want more Pavement, at least in its mellowest form, try Spiral Stair's band "Preston School of Industry") but it IS rad.

Man, is it catchy. I'm loving this mellow jammin' Malkmus. It's not Pavement, and it's definitely looser than his last solo record, but give it a try. Many of the indie old schoolers have disappointed as of late, but this one makes you smile.