Stephen Malkmus and The Jicks @ Other Music - August 25, 2011
After playing a set at Academy Records in Williamsburg at 6pm, indie icon Stephen Malkmus and his backing band The Jicks rushed over to Other Music in Manhattan at 9pm to play another stripped down set of songs off of their latest release, Mirror Traffic. Malkmus, bassist Joanna Bolme, and guitarist Mike Park all played acoustic, while drummer Jake Morris (who has replaced Wild Flag's Janet Weiss) played solely on a floor tom and a cardboard box, occasionally utilizing a shaker.
It was definitely a stripped down performance, but that didn't take away from the songs at all. Mirror Traffic is yet another strong effort from the band--and the only complaint I have about the album so far is that there's nothing about Beck's production that really screams "Beck" to me. It sounds pretty much like what you'd expect from a Jicks record, but that isn't necessarily a bad thing.
Anyway, considering the fact that the band was playing with the absolute bare essentials, it was clearly the songwriting that stood out. I wish it had been longer (they only played for about 30 minutes), but the intimacy of seeing someone like Stephen Malkmus in a tiny record store was worth it alone. And in case you didn't know, Malkmus is a very funny man.
Afterwards, the entire band stuck around to sign records, posters and random memorabilia, while talking to fans and taking photos. Check out a full set of photos of the show below, and be sure to buy your copy of Mirror Traffic today, or listen to it on Spotify. Also check out their peformance at Amoeba Records in L.A. on Tuesday...
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