Got a prerelease - V GOOD!

[The Mox]

Wow..I am amazed...I am three songs into this new Malkmus album and I am surprised!! The first song "Water and a Seat" sounds more late-period-pavementish than most anything the first jicks album had on it...This third song is really cool too.......sweet!!! I This is good... v good even. ohh track 5...pretty good....

It's not that I expected it to suck or anything. The first jicks album was good, and certainly one can't expect an artist not to evolve ...All I can say is that initial impressions of this one are better than my inital impressions of the first jicks CD...

I am sure if I got a copy of this early a lot of other people did too...Anyone else have any thoughts on this? What's the word on the street?

[johansen smith]

word on the street is very Aces. even the losahs at the Pavement BBS like it, and they hate everything.

I also loved the Pitchfork news item about Pig Lib where they tried to act like they had heard the album already, but the way they described Pig Lib only described what they expected to hear. I wasn't aware that guessing (incorrectly) what the album sounds like and reporting it as news was, in fact, news.

[Craig]

Yeah, that Pitchfork news report was embarrassing. They took some cheap shots at Malkmus for not making the type of album that he was "rumored" to be making, without even hearing the album.

I'm really liking Pig Lib. It's got a great cohesive, natural feel. It also has a dark, sinsiter vibe. Oysters, 1% of 1, Witch Mountain Bridge and Animal Midnight rank up there with Malkmus' best work. I can't wait for the live shows. Any word on the first single?

[DefenderOfPants]

i believe the first single is going to be "Us"

[johansen smith]

the single should either be "Vanessa From Queens" or "(Do Not Feed) the Oysters," if ya ask me. those sound like "Radio-Ready" tracks.

[Timothompson]

Oysters or Ramp of Death.

Oysters is quite Beatles.

Definitely not Us.

But do singles sell these albums anyway?

[D.A.R.Y.L.]

not defending our brethren at PFM, just stomping out the scuttlebutts that run rampant on these boards.

will bryant reports:

"...a surprisingly lean affair (though the runtime still clocks in over 47 minutes) and, WE'RE TOLD, not a terrifically bold departure from the genial novelty rock of Malkmus' self-titled debut."

and adds...

"But the three-part harmonies and country-road jangling hardly sound like the proggy head-trip Malkmus has been promising-- it's more like a Yo La Tengo tribute band goofing on Terror Twilight's "Folk Jam"."

cheap shots? embarrassing? I appreciate the SM comraderie as much as the next pylon, but come on, folks. shots below the belt, chinks in the armor? I dont think so, just everyday, good-natured PFM fodder.

we're all STILL going to buy the record, right?


ron artest for MVP,

the robot-child

[johansen smith]

Originally posted by D.A.R.Y.L.

"...a surprisingly lean affair (though the runtime still clocks in over 47 minutes) and, WE'RE TOLD, not a terrifically bold departure from the genial novelty rock of Malkmus' self-titled debut."


um, that's what you'd call talking shit.

[D.A.R.Y.L.]

mr. smith:
were you referring to the adjectives "genial", "novelty", or the combined product? either way, I dont sense any "shit talking", as it were.

either Im an oak...or need to pick up the latest issue of Reader's Digest and have a good cry. whatever the case may be, lighten up, slugger. im on YOUR team. oh, and happy birthday.

best,

d.a.r.y.l.

[johansen smith]

in my defense, "Laughter: The Best Medicine" is fantastic waiting room fodder.

[Craig]

Pitchfork just seemed so overly anxious to slam Malkmus that they couldn't even wait for the official review or even until they actually heard the album.

I like Pitchfork. Occasionally there's some decent writing on display and they do have the best news section around. However, too often it reads like the mad ramblings of an silly middle school student.

[Noah]

It seems that a lot of you have heard the album.... where? Im definitely gonna buy it when it is officially released (because im not a conniving sun ofabitch and i also have a weird thing about having the actual cd... not a copy) but that would be cool if i could hear it before the street date, i loved his first s/t (even if it was genial novelty rock) and i cant wait for this one. cheers,
noah

[Craig]

I guess that people either have an advanced promo copy or they heard it on some file sharing service. Regardless, I will still buy the CD when it comes out. I also like having the actual CD with the all artwork, lyrics, credits....

Question for Matador:

Any data yet on whether file saring/cd burning has had an impact on sales?

[Ladt]

Genial novelty rock? Hell yeah! Is that ever a bad thing?

[Noah]

hmmm... i tired looking on kazaa but to no avail as to find any malkmus tunes. only 3 showed up, from the other album. i guess i will have to scale the matador building, slip in unnoticed, and steal one of their promo copies.

[Zooi]

"Genial novelty rock" is how you describe the next Ween release. So, yeah, I'd put that in the "talking shit" category.

But anyway... it's fucking Pitchfork. What'd you expect?

[tinobeat]

but I think "genial novelty rock" isn't a bad way to describe it. I mean, shit, listen to "The Hook," which is like Pavement covering They Might Be Giants or something. "Jo Jo's Jacket," "Jenny and the Ess Dog" and "Phantasies" are pretty novelty-like too. its a funny record, and not necessarily in the clever aside sort of way. Just doofy and funny. hence, "genial novelty rock." I love the CD and still think that's the most apt description yet...

I love playing devil's advocate for Pitchfork. I mean, sure, they can be idiots sometimes (more like most of the time), but they're idiots with conviction, and the writing can often be funny as hell, so I support it. its entertainment, baby...

[98wahoo]

Craig (and everyone else) I hope buying the cd so that the artists and the label get the credit they deserve for their work is a good enough reason. Anyway, I'm sure I'm preaching to the choir that you should buy records at your friendly neighborhood record store rather than mooching off the Internet. (at least for the indie-label stuff you like. Feel free to mooch those summertime guilty pleasures like Nelly or Ludacris. damn those classless, female-degrading thugs and their catchy beats!)

[johansen smith]

the local "cool" indie rekerd store here scares me. I went in once, and this skinhead guy is watching the counter, and carrying on a conversation about his ex-girlfriend, who he referred to repeatedly as a four letter word starting with "C"... yeah, I politely bought a Silver Scooter CD, and got the hell out of there.

[buttermonkey]

For the guy looking for the file sharing...as long as you buy it later it can be found at soulseek.org

[Noah]

Wow, I'm just listening to the record now. Being a Pavement fanboy I am really trying to like this... I enjoyed his first solo album but this new is different but not different enough. It's like the last one except without the catchy hooks and pop melodies. It seems to be very classic-rock-ish, very guitar oriented. Maybe it's more of a grower, but right now the only interesting thing about it are the odd wordplays that Malkmus has always used in his music. But as for the music .... it's very blah, like eating white rice everyday. The tracks just seem to blend together (not in a good way). But maybe I just need to give it a couple of listens. I'm still gonna buy it when it comes out, the completist that I am (and since I already stole the album).

[kolonabout]

i'm glad i downloaded the whole album... 'cause now i know that it's not worth buying.

[johansen smith]

Originally posted by kolonabout
i'm glad i downloaded the whole album... 'cause now i know that it's not worth buying.

I'm sorry, did you just brag about stealing music?

[Noah]

listening to the album over the past couple of days has changed my opinion a little.
the best songs, at least to me, are ramp of death, vannese from queens(lyric: well there's agression in the air this morning , gotcha ballerina tights around my head, in a samurai pose on the bed), craw song, and us.
(surprisngly i did not like "us" listening to it off the website but it turned out be the best track)
some songs fit the novelty rock title that people have branded it. dark wave starts off with a monter-mash parrty groove and 1 percent of one, which starts off about a sound man from the netherlands, who knew not what band he mixed, and extends into a 9 minute long guitar jam of show-offy solos(show offy for malkmus anyway).

[johansen smith]

boy, Vanessa From Queens is definitely the most pleasant surprise. love the "Bob Packwood wants to suck your toes" line.

[kolonabout]

yeah, you know i did..!

[Patrick]

It's unclear to us whether filesharing is having an impact on our sales yet.

On our marketing strategies, definitely (controlling when and how the music is revealed/released is a big part of how you set up a record in the marketplace, whether you're a big label or small).

Patrick

[bitterfruit]

Originally posted by Patrick
It's unclear to us whether filesharing is having an impact on our sales yet.
Patrick

What kind of metrics would you use to tell whether or not filesharing hurts? How would one every really know to what degree you are affected?

[bitterfruit]

What does The White Stripes early release of Elephant say to you guys?

I would imagine that V2 feels or perceives some negative effects.

[johansen smith]

I think if anything, the leak of the White Stripes album did nothing but spread incredible word of mouth. if you're not one of the lucky 500 (yay me!) who got the vinyl, there's no way you wouldn't go out and buy the album after hearing Elephant. it is really, really good. and it will sell a lot of copies, and maybe help to dispell the notion that file sharing always equals less profit.

[Timothompson]

Do you have to return the vinyl? Also, are you going to buy the CD now?

[johansen smith]

I already sold the vinyl (after I made a CD copy for me), so I hope not, and of course I'll buy the CD.

[bitterfruit]

I wasn't lucky enough to get the vinyl, but I have heard it and do like it quite a bit.