Harnessing a lifetime of indie rock

Stephen Malkmus, the former frontman of Pavement, is bringing back a little 90s groove to our contemporary setting–where indie rock has become a feat of radio-play rather than originality. Retaining his ’90s attitude and devotion to indie-rock, Stephen Malkmus has returned 20 years later with his second solo album release Groove Denied.  

Intro track “Belziger Faceplant” plucks at untuned guitar strings as muddled spoken-word spills into a mix of guilty instrumentals. Robotic synth aimlessly litters the sound while reverberating sirens speak out of turn. The next track “A Bit Wilder” begins with a rippling bassline and subdued vocals–the silhouette of a hit song–but the malleable framework distorts and the track neglects to meet its potential.

Praise be to the post-punk track “Viktor Borgia.” Malkmus lets his vocals glide with a Bowie-tinge while twinkling new-wave synth counts down three minutes and then some. Malkmus’ obscured pop lyrics play in the foreground of “Come Get Me” while fuzzy drums and an extended guitar solo recover the album from its unhinged beginning. The slow-burning lo-fi rock in “Forget Your Place” crackles with static–warranting an upbeat song to extinguish this musical lethargy.

The groove couplet “Rushing the Acid Frat” and “Love the Door” complement one another with a blend of blues rock and electronica, as rusty chords coil with digitized precision. We salute you, Stephen Malkmus, for few musicians can cross genres quite as seamlessly. While Groove Denied takes pleasure in mixing up the sound of each track, each track retains some type of lyrical cynicism that presumably comes from Malkmus’ jaded perspective. The anti-corporate track “Boss Viscerate” winds down as a guitar strums with leisure, while the shimmering chorus in “Ocean of Revenge” finds joy hidden between the lines of pessimistic lyrics.

Groove Denied is less impressive than his first solo release, but as a stand-alone album it follows through with original indie rock cuts. Closing track “Grown Nothing” is a prayer to the passing of time–you can hear his musical career summed up in 4 minutes and 21 seconds.  Over the years, Malkmus has collaborated with members from some of the greatest ’90s bands like The Decemberists, Sleater-Kinney and Sonic Youth. It is obvious that Malkmus’ musical loyalties lie with the 90s, forever devoted to the sound of a Groove Denied.