Face the Truth

STEPHEN MALKMUS • FACE THE TRUTH (matador)
What else can be said about the mighty Malkmus? Famed leader of indie greats Pavement SM has continued to make quirky, indie, prog-pop and this his 3rd solo record pushes him to a new level. His great guitar work, weird, often funny lyrics and inventive arrangements are all over the place on this record all the while hitting us with pop hooks that make for campfire sing alongs. SM really seems to be carrying the torch of Frank Zappa in that he is a brillant musician who takes his quirks and runs with them. His great sense of humor and knack for not taking himself too seriously also aligns him to the great Zappa in my eyes. This record is another brilliant contribution from one of the most brilliant songwriters of the generation X kids -tHE bAWD oF eUPHONy

1*** (4:06) Holy shit crazy keys and guitars with marching drums hit you over the head from the getgo. Awesome vocal melodies and a catchy chorus. I love this man.
2** (4:35) SM classic power ballad. Great rocking guitars and weird middle sections. Love it!
3*** (2:55) Weird acoustic groove with crazy keys and electronic noise. Very weird but cool as shit! FCC “Dog Tits”???
4* (3:53) Happy sounding coaster. Very pretty
5* (3:32) Cool arrangement, triumphant sounding.
6*** (8:00) My favorite track. Epic moody rocker. This is why I love SM! He is not afraid to play the guitar (um Zappa). Cool quick verse then SM rips into a long crazy guitar solo. AWESOME! He Quotes KISS at the end of the song. Fucking hilarious!
7*** (3:11) Really cool upbeat pop song. Great vocals. Feels good.
8*** (3:20) SM’s dance/disco hit. Fucking weird as shit, I love it! Crazy lyrics
9 (4:09) A-typical SM/Pavement pop number.
10*** (2:45) I fucking love this, heavy slow stomp recalling old punk sing-alongs.
11** (2:50) Cool coasting pop song. Great stuff