Random Rules, by Silver Jews.
In my indie rock record purchasing days back in the East Village (hello, I was a type, but a lesser version of it, honest), I heard something that clearly sounded like Stephen Malkmus singing with a band that didn’t sound like Pavement, and asked if it was new Pavement, and the polite hipster at the register said no, of course not, there is no Pavement, this is Silver Jews.
I’ve listened to this record on and off, nowhere near as much as I’ve listened to some of the Malkmus/Jicks/solo records, but when David Berman died, I picked it up again. Then Robin Pecknold name checked American Water on the Fleet Foxes record, and I tried this one out.
Two acoustic tracks with a tiny bit of stereo you’ll hear on headphones! And the fuzzed up electric again to poorly mime a Malkmus fill for a solo at the end.