I heard somewhere that this sounded like a Television album and whoever said that assessed things pretty well. The guitar interplay is fun and there are some good Malkmus songs, but this is a brand new album from a guy who's big talent is songs that grow on you until they're almost ready to eat you alive. But with what time I've had to listen to it, it's hard to tell which ones will do that here. Currently, I'm in love with "Vanessa from Queens" and the epic yet quirky "1% of One". I must say that I miss Pavement, while I like both this and Stephen's self titled debut, and I like the Preston School of Industry album, Spiral Stairs and Stephen Malkmus were just perfect together... So right now I'll say this is slightly above average, but I bet it will wind up meaning more as I listen to it more.
Wolf Mike's rating:
