The Jicks formed in 2000 in Portland, Oregon, United States, almost immediately after Pavement's 1999 "hiatus" began. The group's first record - which had a working title of Swedish Reggae - was simply called Stephen Malkmus. It was released by Matador Records on February 13th, 2001. At least a few of the songs were proposed Pavement songs before the group disbanded.
The group made their official live debut at New York's Bowery Ballroom only a few weeks before their first record was released. Around this time, Pavement's auxiliary percussionist Bob Nastanovich began acting as The Jicks' manager.
Pig Lib was the name of the band's second record, which was released in 2003. The songs had a much looser yet darker feel, and the band sounds more comfortable playing with one another. Malkmus has since expressed regret in some of the decisions he made with putting certain songs on this record. The album received decent reviews, gaining 3/5 stars from Allmusic and an 8.0/10 from Pitchfork Media.
For the first several years of The Jicks' existence, no Pavement songs were ever played live. Then on May 23, 2003, spontaneously and without notice, the band opened the evening's show in Milwaukee, Wisconsin with "Summer Babe" from Pavement's Slanted and Enchanted album. What followed was a complete set of Pavement tracks in the chronological order that the band originally released them, playing roughly two-three songs per album. This concert has been dubbed by fans as The Milwaukee Show.
Notably, The Jicks opened up for Radiohead on the band's North American tour in support of their album, Hail to the Thief.
Face the Truth, credited only to Malkmus, came in 2005 to ecstatic reviews, many of them claiming a return to Wowee Zowee-type form. Most of the album was recorded by Stephen alone in his basement, although each member of the Jicks play on at least one song on the record. The band toured only a small amount behind this record, partially due to the fact that Malkmus had a new child.
On October 2nd, 2006, it was reported by Pitchfork that Janet Weiss, drummer of Quasi and the defunct Sleater-Kinney, had officially joined the band, replacing founding drummer John Moen, who left to be the drummer for The Decemberists.
On March 4th, 2008, their latest album "Real Emotional Trash" was released.
In 2011, shortly after recording their fifth album, it was announced that Janet Weiss had left the band. She was replaced by Jake Morris, formerly of Joggers.
On August 23, 2011, the album "Mirror Traffic" was officially released to generally positive reviews.
07. church on white
Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
When you're hot you're hot
And when enough is enough
Do the fakers drop out?
Promise me
You will always be
Too awake to be famous
Too wired to be safe
Was everything
Plus everything
And the truth
I only poured you
Half a line
Carry on
It's a marathon
Take me off the list
I don't want to be missed
Carrion
Its what we all become
From small minds and tall trees
Away from the action
But all you ever wanted
Was everything
And everything
Plus the truth
I only poured you
Half alive
Half alive
I only poured you half a lie
In Stephen Malkmus's song Church on White, the lyrics revolve around the idea of wanting everything, of being too ambitious, and feeling like one is always on the brink of achieving greatness, but never quite getting there. The lines "Bleed the pot, when you're hot, you're hot" talk about taking risks and going all in when one is on the brink of success, and the question "Do the fakers drop out?" talks about the fake people who are unable to sustain their ambition and ultimately fail.
The chorus talks about the idea of being too awake to be famous and too wired to be safe. Here, the singer seems to be talking about the contrast between the self-destructive nature of ambition and the desire for safety and comfort. The line, "But all you ever wanted was everything, plus the truth" speaks to the fact that what one wants in life is not just material success or fame but also a deeper truth and meaning that can only be found if one is willing to take risks and go beyond conventional boundaries.
The final lyrics, "I only poured you half a line, half alive" highlight the idea that the singer has only given the listener (or perhaps a lover) half of the truth, the half that is comfortable, safe, and doesn't challenge the listener to take risks and push beyond boundaries. The song overall presents a compelling narrative about the costs and risks of ambition, the struggle to achieve success and fulfillment, and the importance of being true to oneself.
Line by Line Meaning
Bleed the pot
Take all the winnings from the pot in a game of chance
When you're hot you're hot
When you're successful, you're really successful
And when enough is enough
When you have achieved your goal, stop there
Do the fakers drop out?
Do people who have been pretending to be something give up when they realize they can't keep it up?
Promise me
Make a commitment to me
You will always be
You will never change
Too awake to be famous
You are too aware to want fame
Too wired to be safe
You are too energetic to play it safe
But all you really wanted
Your true desire was
Was everything
To have it all, achieve everything you ever desire
Plus everything
And then some more
And the truth
The fact of the matter
I only poured you
I only gave you
Half a line
Half of what you truly needed
Carry on
Keep going on
It's a marathon
The journey is long and hard
Take me off the list
Remove my name from the roster
I don't want to be missed
I don't want to be remembered after I'm gone
Carrion
The decaying flesh of dead animals
Its what we all become
It's what happens to all of us
From small minds and tall trees
From people with limited vision and from lucky people
Away from the action
Far from the center of activity
But all you ever wanted
What you truly wanted was
And everything
To have everything you ever wanted
Plus the truth
And the truth about yourself
I only poured you
I only gave you
Half alive
Half of what you needed to live life fully
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: STEPHEN MALKMUS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@zurichgnome6073
This album has aged really, really well.
@Benjo-qd1dv
the most beautiful Malkmus song? one of his best solos too.
@t-man5196
I could listen to the solo at the end of this song on repeat all day.
@frflinstone
this album is as good as any pavement released, just magical
@peacefrogx
one of the greatest songs i've seen performed live by ANY performer. live you get totally lost in sm's solo break in the middle of the song.
@anthonynavarro6074
Like listening to this during summer on a really hot day
@Boitranstornado
a celestial song
@winklestiltskin
this is one of my favorite Malkmus songs. LOVE the layered guitars!!
@gringopig
This one and Jenny & the Ess-Dog are 2 of my favourite songs ever... :-)
@chocomuffinsyc
This guy is a genius.