Traditional Techniques

Set aside the title Traditional Techniques, which appears to be a veiled riposte to Groove Denied, the happily modern, vaguely electronic album Stephen Malkmus released in 2019. The name accentuates the gulf between the two records, but Traditional Techniques is the album Malkmus has been threatening to make for nearly a quarter-century: an amiably trippy and decisively mellow psych-folk adventure, steeped in the obscure sounds of the British and American underground from the twilight of the hippies. A strain of this style has run through his music since at least Pavements sprawling 1995 double-LP Wowee Zowee, but Traditional Techniques benefits from Malkmus relaxed middle age. Over the years, hes gained restraint and sharpened his focus while retaining his affection for winding melodies and hazy delivery. All these elements elegantly cohere on Traditional Techniques, so the album has a gentle, slightly stoned sway yet it doesnt quite ramble. Its rarely as sharp and lively as Xian Man, which is buoyed by trebly curlicues from contributing guitarist Matt Sweeney, but the unhurried unveiling of mind-bending folk is quietly gripping. Malkmus doesnt abandon his sly sense of humor -- it helps propel the desert drone of Shadobanned -- but when he sings of The Greatest Own in Legal History, its not with a smirk but a weary and reluctant heart. That weathered emotion is as great a unifier on Traditional Techniques as the choice to delve deep into psych-folk and, indeed, its difficult to view the two strands as separate. From its aesthetic conception to its casual execution, Traditional Techniques seems deeply felt, a resonance that may reflect Malkmus enduring love for this obscure sound but also is a bit startling. Malkmus isnt necessarily wearing his heart on his sleeve -- his songs remain slanted at a leftward angle -- but Traditional Techniques feels starkly openhearted and relaxed, which means that the album can surprise emotionally even if it is firmly rooted within his musical wheelhouse. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine