Nothing is ever simple and straightforward when it comes to one of our all-time favorite artists, Mr. Indie Smartypants–Stephen Malkmus.  Pavement’s leader has delighted and confounded for decades now.  Yet another example of this conjunction can be assayed (yes, we are baiting Mr. Scrabble) below in Malkmus’ (and his Jicks’) new “lyric video” for new song Lariat (off of new album Wig Out At Jagbags, to be released in early January).  As you can see below, the song’s lyrics are in French (bien sur!) as pantomimed by a femme (and cohorts) filmed in some European city.   It’s all a titch perplexing.  But what the video and its’ high-jinx cannot mask is that Lariat is one of the best songs we have heard from Malmus & The Jicks in quite some time.  It’s a great return to form after some jagged, more-experimental, prog-y excursions, and bodes well for the new album (says we song-centric citizens).

About the new album, Malkmus has semaphored: “Wig Out At Jagbags is inspired by Cologne, Germany, Mark Von Schlegell, Rosemarie Trockel, Von Spar and Jan Lankisch, Can and Gas; Stephen-Malkmus-imagined Weezer/Chili Peppers, Sic Alps, UVA in the late 80’s, NYRB, Aroma Charlottenburg, inactivity, Jamming, Indie guys trying to sound Memphis, Flipper, Pete Townshend, Pavement, The Joggers, The NBA and home life in the 2010’s …”  Below is the tracklisting from the album, which is available for pre-order HERE and HERE.

Track listing:
1. Planetary Motion
2. The Janitor Revealed
3. Lariat
4. Houston Hades
5. Shibboleth
6. J Smoov
7. Rumble At The Rainbo
8. Chartjunk
9. Independence Street
10. Scattegories
11. Cinnamon and Lesbians
12. Surreal Teenagers