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Malkmus & Jicks- Sparkle Hard- May 18


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https://store.matadorrecords.com/new-releases/sparkle-hard

 

The fact that Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks have thrived, rather than simply endured, over 17 years and delivered six albums of buzzy, sub-cultural significance, constitutes an impressive legacy. The challenge with album number seven is one that any successful band with integrity faces: how to safeguard that legacy and hold on to their identity without rehashing old ground (unthinkable), and also say something meaningful while (crucially) having fun doing it? With Sparkle Hard, Malkmus, Mike Clark (keyboards), Joanna Bolme (bass) and Jake Morris (drums) do exactly that.
 
It’s light ’n’ breezy, head-down heavy, audacious, melancholic and reflective, goodtime and bodacious, and it pulls off the smartest trick: it’s both unmistakeably The Jicks and – due to the streamlining of their trademark tics and turns, plus the introduction of some unexpected flourishes (Auto-Tune! A fiddle! Guest vocalist Kim Gordon! One seven-minute song with an acoustic folk intro!) – The Jicks refashioned. If 2014’s Wig Out At Jag Bags balanced the lengthy prog workouts of Pig Lib with Mirror Traffic’s sparky pop moments, then Sparkle Hard bears less obvious direct relation to what’s come before. It also has turbocharged energy and enthusiasm by the truckload.
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I've had the self-titled reissue pre-ordered since Feb of 2017 on Amazon.co.uk and still haven't received any kind of update on it. I did grab tix to his Louisville show in June though - stoked for that and the new album!

 

edit: Self-titled shipped today from Amazon.co.uk !

Edited by mucusoffmybrain
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  • 4 weeks later...
2 hours ago, aju2streets said:

I can't tell if it's sarcasm but they did have a few color variants for the last Spoon album. 

It was. They never used to do that stuff but have the last few years.

 

They used to also always release top notch stuff done at quality plants, than set a survey out and idiots wanted shittier pressing for less money

Edited by youspinmeround
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51 minutes ago, TheCowboyPoet said:

Yeah pretty disappointed to see no way to order the colour versions in North America at all. I hope this isn't the same situation with the new Kurt Vile album later this year. 

Who cares.  Sounds the same (if not better) on black and it's cheaper.  Don't believe the hype. 

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