Stephen Malkmus has reached rarefied air. The frontman for Pavement and the Jicks has reached a level of renown that allows him to follow whatever musical whim he might have. Last year that meant forcing fans to drink an astringent dose of laptop-constructed electronic whimsy with his first full-fledged solo effort Groove Denied. This year, Malkmus is offering up a new kind of diversion, but this one is much easier to swallow.
Recorded with the help of Decemberists guitarist Chris Funk, Traditional Techniques is Malkmus’ stab at a psych-folk record in the vein of Comus’ First Utterance and fellow Oregonian Michael Hurley. It’s a sweetly rambling affair that hovers like a dust mite in a sunbeam, kept aloft by an ace group of supporters that includes master guitarist Matt Sweeney (Chavez, Zwan) and Afghan musician Qais Essar.