Stephen Malkmus is a more coherent album than any one Pavement release, which can be seen as both a good and bad quality. There's less variation between the songs in terms of structure, but it's the minor tweaks to the sound that are the things to savor-- the ghostly sample that ties together "Deado", the silly but completely apropos steel drum bit on "Vague Space", the flute that swoops through the snarling trudge of "Black Book". Malkmus has regained his songwriting stride, and he sounds more confident than he's been in a long time. There aren't as many extremes or chances taken as some Pavement fans might like; it's not "important" or "groundbreaking," and it probably won't make many best-of lists come December. But it's still an enjoyable album with its share of Malkmus-worthy moments.
