Music

Pavement's Stephen Malkmus announces the release of Beck-produced solo album

by Nicole Villeneuve

Pavement frontman Stephen Malkmus is set to release another solo album with backing band the Jicks later this summer on August 23. Called Mirror Traffic, the album is the first with the Jicks since 2008’s Real Emotional Trash and the first we’ve heard of Malkmus since the fan-anticipated, seemingly band-ambivalent Pavement reunion shows.

Produced by Beck (who’s been busy lately, having also produced the new Thurston Moore solo album), Mirror Traffic is said in a press release from label Matador to be “the album that ties together Stephen’s skill-set like none of it’s predecessors.” It’s also the last Jicks album with drummer Janet Weiss as she presumably focuses full-time on her new firecracker supergroup Wild Flag and their debut album.