It isn't surprising that Stephen Malkmus doesn't get caught up in the marketing, promotion and general schlepping that goes along with releasing a new album. For years he made a living riding against the mainstream as the lead singer and songwriter for the rock band Pavement, and now, with the release of his third album since the band's breakup, Malkmus is generally oblivious to his fans' and management team's anticipation.

Malkmus talked with Recoil one day before Face the Truth hit store shelves. He elaborated – with a distinct brand of Malkmus sarcasm – on what it feels like to have a year's worth of work ready to be judged by America: "I'm feeling fine. We're going up against Audioslave; it's a David and Goliath battle but we'll see what happens."

The third album is critical for a musician who is so much attached to a specific rock band; the first album is of course a comparison to the previous ensemble, and the second album is a gut-check of sorts – with critics quick to note whether or not the artist can conquer the sophomore slump that afflicts so many musicians on their second CD. And then there's the third album: their first chance to be judged without prejudice or preconceived notions of what the music should sound like.

"At this point I've had so many good reviews that I deserve some bad ones or something," Malkmus said. "But then you realize that many of the reviews are good because the bands are advertising in the magazine or something."

Malkmus has never been afraid to give his opinion on serious topics like politics or the music business, or trivial subjects like Halle Berry's performance in the latest James Bond flick. During the 30-minute conversation with Recoil, he clearly seemed more comfortable talking about issues unrelated to his music (Malkmus is not a Star Wars fan) than about the album and tour he's embarked on. He admittedly has a reputation for being lazy, but this may be because of the slow, seemingly (but likely not) careless manner in which he speaks. Never seeming too passionate about anything, he sort of loafs from topic to topic.

This carelessness has gotten him in trouble before though. In a March 2003 issue of Entertainment Weekly Malkmus opened up on now former Saturday Night Live cast member Jimmy Fallon. "I'm mad at Jimmy Fallon for being average and getting so much credit just because he's cute," Malkmus told the magazine. Cases like this often leave a celebrity apologizing or crying foul of the publication, but Malkmus does neither.

"I'd seen Saturday Night Live the night before and just thought he was really bad," Malkmus said. "And that actually got picked up in the New York Post and stuff under the title 'Slack Attack' because I'm known as a slacker."

"You don't really want to be known as a disser or a person who talks people down," he added. "I don't think it's good for your soul."

Conversely, Malkmus has only positive things to say about R. Kelly's new music, the latest Beck album, and Queens of the Stone Age's harmonics. He also has only positive things to say about his new album, and efforts since Pavement broke up in 2000. However it's clear bragging about his music is something he'd rather see other people do.

For instance, Malkmus wouldn't say his rarely talked about guitar skills are underrated, but wouldn't go as far as to say he's overrated. "Unless you're on the cover of every magazine or something and everyone is talking about it, you're going to feel a little bit underrated in this business," he said.

His transition from being part of a great indie rock band to becoming a great indie rock solo artist has been a pleasant surprise to anyone who doubted he could carry a project on his own. Much is made of his songwriting skills, and on Face the Truth he doesn't disappoint. Malkmus frees up some space on the album to flex his guitar chops, however. The eight-minute long "No More Shoes" and the disco-esque "Kindling for the Master" features plenty of running solos and some very catchy riffs. Malkmus said he actually finds coming up with guitar lines more satisfying than writing great lyrics.

"It's more physical, which I like," he said. "I just like the hands on the strings on the wood and the noise more than the lead and the paper."

As Malkmus' music reaches more and more people, it's inevitable that he'll begin to hear his influence in someone else's songs. He said this happens all the time when fans send him their demo discs, but he's also beginning to hear it on the mainstream level. In most cases he doesn't mind because he admits to borrowing ideas from some of his influences, but the song "Yellow" from Coldplay crosses the line, he said.

"The guitar circle of it sounds like a version of the Pavement song called 'Here,' and that's a very popular song by Coldplay," Malkmus said in a manner that seemed to state that he either didn't really care, or didn't really feel like doing anything about it. "If I thought it was a big enough hit, I might try to uh, chip a little bit of cash off Coldplay. Because for, you know, for having a name that sounds so much like a modern band… It sounds like a corporation to me sort of. [Changes voice to mimic a commercial voiceover] Like Coldplay, medicated."

Hardly a slam that'll make tabloid headlines, but it's encouraging to know that if music doesn't work out for him, Malkmus could have a career as conscience of the stars.

July 2005