Sparkle Hard
Studio album by
Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks
ReleasedMay 18, 2018
StudioHalfling Studios, Portland, Oregon
GenreIndie rock
Length43:41
Label
ProducerChris Funk
Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks chronology
Wig Out at Jagbags
(2014)		 Sparkle Hard
(2018)
Singles from Sparkle Hard
  1. "Middle America"
    Released: February 7, 2018
  2. "Shiggy"
    Released: March 26, 2018
  3. "Refute"
    Released: April 25, 2018

Sparkle Hard is the seventh studio album by American indie rock band Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks, released on May 18, 2018, by Matador Records and Domino Records.[1] It reached #174 on the Billboard 200 charts,[2] and peaked at #64 on the Official UK Charts.[3]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
AnyDecentMusic?7.9/10[4]
Metacritic84/100[5]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[6]
The A.V. ClubB+[7]
Financial Times[8]
The Guardian[9]
Mojo[10]
The Observer[11]
Pitchfork8.0/10[12]
Q[13]
Rolling Stone[14]
Uncut8/10[15]

Sparkle Hard was critically acclaimed upon its release. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, it received an average score of 84, based on 26 reviews.[5] Jem Aswad of Variety said that "With nary a weak track, Sparkle Hard finds Malkmus hitting a new peak nearly 30 years into his career."[16]

Several publications named the album one of the best of 2018, including: Rolling Stone,[17] Spin,[18] Q,[19] Uncut,[20] Mojo,[21] Under the Radar,[22] and Consequence of Sound.[23]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Stephen Malkmus

No.TitleLength
1."Cast Off"2:54
2."Future Suite"2:43
3."Solid Silk"4:37
4."Bike Lane"3:34
5."Middle America"3:31
6."Rattler"3:08
7."Shiggy"3:16
8."Kite"6:40
9."Brethren"2:51
10."Refute"3:24
11."Difficulties / Let Them Eat Vowels"7:03
Total length:43:41

Personnel

  • Stephen Malkmus – vocals, songwriting, guitar, mellotron, piano, Memorymoog, bass
  • Joanna Bolme – bass, backing vocals
  • Mike Clark – keyboards, JUNO synthesizer
  • Jake Morris – drums, backing vocals, percussion
  • Chris Funk – production, acoustic slide guitar (10)
  • Kim Gordon – vocals (10)
  • Kyleen King – strings (3, 9)
  • Luke Price – fiddle (10)
  • JJ Golden – lacquer cut
  • Adam Lee – recording, mixing
  • Orion Landau – design
  • James Rexroad – photography

References

  1. ↑ Cook-Wilson, Winston (March 26, 2018). "Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks Announce New Album Sparkle Hard, Release "Shiggy"". Spin. Retrieved December 8, 2018.
  2. ↑ "Stephen Malkmus". Billboard. Retrieved 2020-12-08.
  3. ↑ "sparkle hard | full Official Chart History | Official Charts Company". www.officialcharts.com. Retrieved 2020-12-08.
  4. ↑ "Sparkle Hard by Stephen Malkmus And The Jicks reviews". AnyDecentMusic?. Retrieved December 8, 2018.
  5. 1 2 "Sparkle Hard by Stephen Malkmus & the Jicks Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic. Retrieved December 8, 2018.
  6. ↑ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Sparkle Hard – Stephen Malkmus / Stephen Malkmus & the Jicks". AllMusic. Retrieved December 8, 2018.
  7. ↑ Williams, Matt (May 18, 2018). "Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks, Sparkle Hard". The A.V. Club. Retrieved May 15, 2019.
  8. ↑ Hunter-Tilney, Ludovic (May 25, 2018). "Stephen Malkmus and The Jicks: Sparkle Hard — 'disheveled rock songs'". Financial Times. Retrieved May 15, 2019.
  9. ↑ Simpson, Dave (May 18, 2018). "Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks: Sparkle Hard review – fuzzy logic and killer tunes". The Guardian. Retrieved December 8, 2018.
  10. ↑ Cameron, Keith (June 2018). "Stephen Malkmus & the Jicks: Sparkle Hard". Mojo. No. 295. p. 94.
  11. ↑ Mardles, Paul (May 20, 2018). "Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks: Sparkle Hard review – a reanimated rock eccentric". The Observer. Retrieved May 15, 2019.
  12. ↑ Rytlewski, Evan (May 18, 2018). "Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks: Sparkle Hard". Pitchfork. Retrieved December 8, 2018.
  13. ↑ Oldham, James (July 2018). "Stephen Malkmus & the Jicks: Sparkle Hard". Q. No. 386. p. 115.
  14. ↑ Dolan, Jon (May 17, 2018). "Review: Stephen Malkmus & the Jicks' 'Sparkle Hard' Is Full of Golden Guitars and Warm Vibes". Rolling Stone. Retrieved May 15, 2019.
  15. ↑ Anderson, Jason (May 25, 2018). "Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks – Sparkle Hard". Uncut. Archived from the original on May 25, 2018. Retrieved December 8, 2018.
  16. ↑ Aswad, Jem (May 18, 2018). "Album Review: Stephen Malkmus & the Jicks' 'Sparkle Hard'". Variety. Retrieved December 8, 2018.
  17. ↑ Shteamer, Jon Dolan,Brendan Klinkenberg,Maura Johnston,Simon Vozick-Levinson,Christian Hoard,Christopher R. Weingarten,Charles Holmes,Elias Leight,Suzy Exposito,Rob Sheffield,Jonathan Bernstein,Brittany Spanos,Will Hermes,Kory Grow,Hank; Dolan, Jon; Klinkenberg, Brendan; Johnston, Maura; Vozick-Levinson, Simon; Hoard, Christian; Weingarten, Christopher R.; Holmes, Charles; Leight, Elias (2018-12-13). "50 Best Albums of 2018". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2020-12-08.{{cite magazine}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  18. ↑ "51 Best Albums of 2018: Staff Picks". Spin. 2018-12-12. Retrieved 2020-12-08.
  19. ↑ "Albums Of The Year 2018".
  20. ↑ "Introducing the new Uncut... and our Review Of The Year!". UNCUT. 2018-11-13. Retrieved 2020-12-08.
  21. ↑ "Kate Bush Heads Up MOJO's Best Of 2018 Issue". Mojo. Retrieved 2020-12-08.
  22. ↑ "Under the Radar's Top 100 Albums of 2018 | Under the Radar - Music Magazine". undertheradarmag.com. Retrieved 2020-12-08.
  23. ↑ "Top 50 Albums of 2018". Consequence of Sound. 2018-12-03. Retrieved 2020-12-08.
  24. ↑ Sparkle Hard (Liner notes). Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks. Matador Records. 2018. OLE-1328-1.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
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