Performer Notes

As the frontman and primary songwriter of Pavement, Steve Malkmus crafted lazy, supremely catchy art-pop that defined the slacker/indie genre. As a solo artist, Malkmus hasn't exactly tightened up, but his music emerges from grander, more expansive sonic terrain. REAL EMOTIONAL TRASH, Malkmus's fourth solo album, kicks off with "Dragonfly Pie" and immediately finds him in guitar-hero mode, slashing out disjointed riffs and shreds. Elsewhere, SM's classic rock fixation is on full display, channeling George Harrison via the guitar solo on "Hopscotch," while the album's centerpiece, the 10-minute-plus title track, has the feel of Richard Thompson and Fairport Convention at their most epic (think "A Sailor's Life"). Malkmus certainly remains on his own languid trip, but as this album proves, his music has grown far too complex and cerebral for him to be called a slacker anymore.

Professional Reviews

Rolling Stone (p.56) - 4.5 stars out of 5 -- "REAL EMOTIONAL TRASH is a fantastic psychedelic feast, full of cosmic guitar crackle and electric piano..."

Rolling Stone (p.94) - Ranked #34 in Rolling Stone's 50 Best Albums Of 2008 -- "Janet Weiss keeps the band charging forward."

Spin (p.106) - 3 stars out of 5 -- "Malkmus' knack for encrusting sketchy compositions with beatific pop touches remains undiminished."

Entertainment Weekly (p.75) - "[T]he Jicks imbue TRASH's loosey-goosey vibe with an underlying discipline, from the road-dog adventure of the title track to the pretty, minor melancholy of 'Baltimore.'" -- Grade: B+

Uncut (p.93) - 4 stars out of 5 -- "A record filled with magnificent extended jams....There's never been a better time to turn on to him, and tune in."

The Wire (p.57) - "What's refreshing here is how his solo career has crystallised into something that can be both diamond-hard and volatile enough to remain intriguing."

No Depression (p.70) - "Malkmus expands the title-track opener into a ten-minute epic, complete with a languid, then speedily intense, middle seciton featuring solos that wouldn't shame either Ron Asheton or Gregg Allmann."

Mojo (Publisher) (p.101) - 4 stars out of 5 -- "REAL EMOTIONAL TRASH conjures a virtuoso meld of folk rock, prog and cosmic blues tropes, all filtered through the ex-Pavement frontman's arch surrealism."

Blender (Magazine) (pp.80-81) - 4 stars out of 5 -- "It's a very rare, wondrous thing: prog-rock for firesides and fuzzy-slipper Sundays."

Harp (magazine) (p.103) - "Be grateful that the former Pavement head still patches together lo-fi songs with bits of lovely melodies, angry guitars and gnarled lyrics."

Paste (magazine) - 3 stars out of 5 -- "Malkmus presides over a classic-rock parallel universe where Black Sabbath doom riifs rub up against Grateful Dead boogies and Boston-aping pop anthems, with prog-rock detours and multi-section epics thrown in for good measure."

The Word (magazine) (p.110) - "Malkmus's voice retains a nervy nerdiness....The fuzzy riffs and satisfyingly earthy guitar soloing suggest he is truly enjoying playing Great American Rock..."

Album: Real Emotional Trash *
#	Song Title	Time
1)	Dragonfly Pie
2)	Hopscotch Willie
3)	Cold Son
4)	Real Emotional Trash
5)	Out of Reaches
6)	Baltimore
7)	Gardenia
8)	Elmo Delmo
9)	We Can't Help You
10)	Wicked Wanda

Album: Real Emotional Trash *
#	Song Title	Time
1)	Dragonfly Pie
2)	Hopscotch Willie
3)	Cold Son
4)	Real Emotional Trash
5)	Out of Reaches
6)	Baltimore
7)	Gardenia
8)	Elmo Delmo
9)	We Can't Help You
10)	Wicked Wanda