Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks w/Lithics

Save for an enjoyable but low-stakes reunion with Pavement, one of the most beloved and influential indie-rock bands of the ’90s, Stephen Malkmus has never been one to look back. Each of his solo albums with his band the Jicks marched to the beat of its own drum, and that’s especially true of his latest album for Matador Records, Sparkle Hard, his first since 2014’s Wig Out at Jagbags. As tuneful and seemingly effortless as his best records with Pavement, Sparkle Hard finds the eternally youthful musician taking big risks and making them seem like no big deal, incorporating strings, singing about Black Lives Matter, duetting with Kim Gordon and even playing around with Auto-Tune on a couple of tracks. It’s a reminder that, even after all these decades, Malkmus is still one of indie rock’s great.