Pavement's Stephen Malkmus and Spiral Stairs Both Just Announced New Solo Albums

One is a "rejected" electronic album and the other is called 'We Wanna Be Hyp-No-Tized'

BY Brock ThiessenPublished Jan 22, 2019

While there is still no Pavement reunion in sight, two of the band's key members are hitting us up with new solo albums in 2019. We're not sure if this was planned, but both Pavement's Stephen Malkmus and Spiral Stairs have just announced new records on the same day.

First off, Malkmus has revealed the follow-up to last year's Sparkle Hard. It's called Groove Denied, and it's his long-rumoured electronic album, which was "rejected" by his label, according to a press release sent by his label.

The PR explains the following:

Groove Denied is not a full-blown plunge into EDM or hiptronica. In fact, there aren't any purely instrumental tracks on the album. Every song is precisely that: a song, featuring Malkmus staples like an artfully askew melody and an oblique lyric. Groove Denied is Stephen playing hooky from his customary way of going about things, jolting himself out of a comfy routine.

The album will arrive on March 15 via Matador, and you can get a taste of it by watching a new video for the record's "Viktor Borgia" down below.

As for Spiral Stairs' new solo album, it's titled We Wanna Be Hyp-No-Tized, marking Scott Kannberg's first Spiral Stairs effort since 2017's Doris and and the Daggers. The upcoming record will arrive on March 22 via Nine Mile Records/Coolin' By Sound.

"To me We Wanna Be Hyp-No-Tized feels like the records I've been listening to and the records I've been digging and aspire to sound like," Kannberg said in a statement. "In my early twenties I felt like I knew everything — I always knew about new bands before everyone else — but that kind of closed off a lot of bands that I didn't give much credence to, and now I'm a bit older and it's, like, 'Wow, how did I miss that?'"

You can hear the album's first single "Hyp-No-Tized" down below as well.

Both Stephen Malkmus and Spiral Stairs also have North American solo tours coming up in support of their respective new albums. They will both be hitting Toronto, though not on the same night.

You'll find all the dates down below too.



Groove Denied:

1. Belziger Faceplant
2. A Bit Wilder
3. Viktor Borgia
4. Come Get Me
5. Forget Your Place
6. Rushing the Acid Frat
7. Love the Door
8. Boss Viscerate
9. Ocean of Revenge
10. Grown Nothing

Stephen Malkmus Tour Dates:

01/23 Chicago, IL - Metro ^

01/25 Brooklyn, NY - Brooklyn Steel ^

05/01 Toronto, Ontario - The Great Hall

05/03 Somerville, MA - Arts at The Armory

05/04 Ardmore, PA - Ardmore Music Hall

05/05 Washington D.C. - Union Stage

05/07 Austin, TX - 3TEN ACL Live

05/10 Portland, OR - Doug Fir Lounge

05/11 Seattle, WA - Columbia City Theater

05/14 San Francisco, CA - Swedish American Hall

05/15 Los Angeles, CA - Lodge Room

05/30 Barcelona, Spain Parc del Fòrum ^

06/02 Hilvarenbeek, Netherlands - Best Kept Secret Festival ^

06/04 Sint-Niklaas, Belgium - De Casino ^

06/05 Hamburg, Germany - Knust ^

06/07 Stockholm, Sweden - Debaser ^

06/11 Oslo, Norway - Parkteatret ^

06/12 Bergen, Norway - Bergenfest ^

06/14 Copenhagen, Denmark - Lille Vega ^

06/14-16 Mannheim, Germany - Maimarkt-Gelände ^

06/18 Kortrijk, Belgium - De Kreun ^

06/19 Paris, France - La Gaîté Lyrique ^

^ Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks





We Wanna Be Hyp-No-Tized:

1. Hyp-No-Tized
2. The Fool
3. Diario
4. Them Cold Eyes
5. Hold On (Til I Figure It Out)
6. Fingerprintz
7. BTG
8. Dear Husband
9. Swampland
10. Borderline

Spiral Stairs Tour Dates:

03/12 Austin, TX - The Mohawk
03/19 Davenport, IA - Triple Crown Whiskey Bar and Raccoon Motel
03/20 Chicago, IL - The Hideout
03/21 Minneapolis, MN - 7th Street Entry
03/22 Madison, WI - Kiki's Righteous House of Music
03/23 Detroit, MI - Third Man Records
03/24 Toronto, ON - Horseshoe Tavern
03/26 New York, New York - Mercury Lounge
03/27 Brooklyn, NY - Brooklyn Brewery
03/28 Allston, MA - O'Brien's
03/29 Philadelphia, PA - Ortlieb's
03/30 Chapel Hill, NC - Cat's Cradle Back Room
04/20 Brisbane, AU - Stones Corner Pub
04/21 Tallarook, AU - Boogie Fest
04/26 Ballarat, AU - The Eastern
04/27 Melbourne, AU - The Toff
05/30 Seattle, WA - Hotel Albatross
06/01 Portland, OR - Alberta St. Pub
06/03 Tuscon, AZ - Hotel Congress
06/04 Phoenix, AZ - Rebel Lounge
06/05 San Diego, CA - Soda Bar
06/06 Los Angeles, CA - The Bootleg Theater
06/08 Sonoma, CA - Huichica Festival
06/14 Austin, TX - 3TEN

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