Stephen Malkmus – Discretion Grove

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Single Review by Mark Bayross

The former Pavement frontman has amassed a respectable amount of praise for his self-titled debut album, and DISCRETION GROVE makes a fairly sensible choice for the first single. A catchy fuzzed-out rock track, it recalls the halcyon days of Pavement, which alone should be enough to keep the punters happy.

So far, so ‘stoner’, but Malkmus is feted for his unusual song structures, and the more left-of-field additional tracks offer a superb opportunity to sample his eccentricity.

SIN TAXI is all over the place – scattered drums, fluttery electronics and guitars that seem to have a life all of their own – while LEISURELY POISON is a minute-and-a-half of minor chords and crude drum machine that actually peaks somewhere round the middle.

Idiosyncratic without being pretentious or inaccessible, and DISCRETION GROVE is bound to make the XFM playlist.

4 stars