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Mar 14, 2019Groove Denied is the sound of Malkmus truly untethered, and once you get past the initial jolt of its radical stylistic change, you’ll recognize it for being the great album it is. Don’t let the ascetic nature of the arrangements fool you. Malkmus is trying to blow our minds, and he succeeds spectacularly.
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The WireApr 3, 2019The entire affair has a bewitching ease, an effortlessness absent from Malkmus’s artistry since the days when he wanted to name his solo debut Swedish Reggae. [Apr 2019, p.58]
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Mar 15, 2019Rather than thinking of Groove Denied as some form of outlier we should only be thinking of it for what it is: a delicious treat.
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Q MagazineMar 12, 2019Groove Denied is a brilliant and varied sonic experiment that zigzags through early-'80s analogue synthscapes and early Cure. The second half returns him to more familiar wonky guitar territory, but it's a joy to hear him stretch out. [May 2019, p.115]
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UncutMar 12, 2019These 33 minutes are some of Malkmus' finest work; one avenue, then, has now been explored and staked out, but remains pleasingly wild. [Apr 2019, p.35]
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Mar 12, 2019What it does signify is a willingness to embrace and learn the uncomfortable from a prolific artist whose output may have seemed set in its ways. Malkmus’ continuing willingness to think outside the box is much appreciated.
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Mar 12, 2019Groove Denied is lesser than Sparkle Hard, and greater. Not so happy, yet much happier.
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Mar 18, 2019Groove Denied can’t help but feel like a minor effort. It’s essentially his answer to McCartney II—the sound of a veteran artist with two beloved bands under his belt reveling in the freedom to indulge a latent fascination with the latest gadgets.
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Mar 21, 2019The lyrical framework in which he operates is fairly supple and improvisatory, though there are some surprisingly tender lines here and there. Structures and voicings are stripped back but viscid synths and odd, glitchy effects whir in the background.
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Mar 15, 2019Groove Denied captures the finer points of Stephen Malkmus’ craftsmanship in wildly esoteric and robotic form.
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Mar 15, 2019Not everything on Groove Denied works, but it’s gratifying to see a great songwriter still busy being born.
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Mar 12, 2019Groove Denied isn't the game-changer fans hoped for, but it's also not the disaster Matador expected. It's just your average Stephen Malkmus album... now with more electronics!
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Mar 12, 2019Recorded alone by Malkmus with the support of a stack of synths, drum machines, and a handful of guitars, Groove Denied doesn't fundamentally push at the boundaries of his music. Whatever electronic influence there is here, it's grounded in a stylized nod toward the pioneering, eerie analog experimentalism of the post-punk era.
User score distribution:
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Positive: 7 out of 11
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Mixed: 4 out of 11
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Negative: 0 out of 11
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Mar 16, 2019