Following the release of singles “Viktor Borgia” and “Rushing The Acid Frat,” Stephen Malkmus today shares a third track off of Groove Denied (out March 15th on Matador Records), the psychedelic Eastern-inspired (is that a sitar!?) “Come Get Me” and its accompanying lyric video. Despite the predominant 80s-minimal-synth and industrial influences on much of the rest of Groove Denied, “Come Get Me” is a bit closer to Malkmus’s comfort zone: “warped psych,” as he terms it, that avant-garage tradition of dirty guitars and ramshackle grooves — except in this case, it’s one person pretending to be a band — but the illusion is pulled of magnificently on the loose ’n swinging new song.
Stephen Malkmus had a vision … or so begins the lyrics to “Rushing The Acid Frat,” the newly released single from his forthcoming Groove Denied (out March 15th on Matador/Domino). The song title, inspired by Stephen’s memories of a specific student fraternity (think less beer-pong-bros, more “Grateful Dead druggy tie-dye” vibe) at his University of Virginia alma mater, is a “Louie Louie”-style shindig rumpus, which he imagines as the soundtrack to a “Star Wars bar scene in such a frat … it’s kinda 12-bar but gigged with psych lyrics.”
Its accompanying video, features an animated Stephen taking a trippy romp through LA’s Koreatown and Hollywood Forever Cemetery, followed by a trip to the moon, and back to a field on Earth, tinged with colorful hallucinatory enhancements.
The rumors are true: The “rejected” electronic album that Stephen Malkmus has been tellingeveryoneabout will see the light of day on March 15th (pre-order it here: http://smarturl.it/groove_denied). But Groove Denied is not a full-blown plunge into EDM or hiptronica. In fact, there aren’t any purely instrumental tracks on the album. Every song is precisely that: a song, featuring Malkmus staples like an artfully askew melody and an oblique lyric. Groove Denied is Stephen playing hooky from his customary way of going about things, jolting himself out of a comfy routine. As Malkmus commented recently in a recent video interview, “It’s kind of funny to mess with stuff you’re not supposed to mess with.”
The first taste of Stephen’s new groove can be sampled today, with the release of single “Viktor Borgia,” and its accompanying video starring Stephen alone in a dance club — until he turns into a digital avatar and dance-battles the digital avatars of a Random Businessman and a pony-tailed pop-star named Ariana.
The title playfully merges the name of the comedian-pianist and the ruthless dynasty of Italo-Spanish nobles. With its stately melody and the almost-English-accented vocal, the coordinates here are early Human League or even Men Without Hats. “Yes, I was thinking things like Pete Shelley’s ‘Homosapien’, the Human League, and DIY synth music circa 1982,” says Stephen, adding “and also about how in the New Wave Eighties, these suburban 18-and-over dance clubs were where all the freaks would meet – a sanctuary.”
Photo by Robbie Augspurger
Stephen will embark on a solo tour, sans Jicks, in May. The newly announced run of dates can be found below – tickets are on sale this Friday at 10am.
Watch an acoustic version of “Solid Silk”, directed by Brook Linder.
We’re heading back out on tour for the next few weeks – see you out there:
July 17 Mystic Theatre, Petaluma CA ## Tickets
July 18 Slim’s, San Francisco CA ## SOLD OUT
July 19, The Roxy, LA ++ SOLD OUT
July 20 Casbah, San Diego CA ++ SOLD OUT
July 22 The Crescent Ballroom, Phoenix AZ ++ Tickets
July 23 Launchpad, Albuquerque NM, ++ Tickets
July 25 The Mohawk, Austin TX ## Tickets
July 26 White Oak Music Hall, Houston TX ## Tickets
July 27 Granada Theater, Dallas TX ## Tickets
July 28 The Vanguard, Tulsa OK ## Tickets
July 29 Record Bar, Kansas City MO ## Tickets
July 31 Gothic Theatre, Englewood CO## Tickets
August 1 Urban Lounge, Salt Lake City UT ## Tickets
August 3 Rickshaw Theatre, Vancouver BC ## Tickets
August 4 Neptune Theatre, Seattle WA ## Tickets
August 5 Star Theater, Portland OR ## SOLD OUT
October 5 Greek Theatre, Los Angeles w/ Courtney Barnett, Waxahatchee Tickets
Plus, take the Sparkle Hard quiz with questions penned by the Jicks to calculate your sparkle level and get a corresponding playlist featuring album art rejected by our label: http://howharddoyousparkle.com
