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.
Animal Midnight
Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And friendship a cold convenience
I wonder sometimes what you're made of
Is it rayon or is it dust?
How you calibrate your intuition
Such that it just feeds the kill
And every single night I try to make you come alive
And you
You don't see me
Because you
You won't change
You
You don't see me
Because you
You won't change
With your big old Russian (rushin'?) brain
To keep you ahead of the stoplights
You to me is like carbon dioxide
You know I won't be your frozen rose
Why don't you just let me get up, yeah
Before you do the rowdy, rowdy, rowdy rough?
reach, reach
Cut it, cut it
Reach, bleach
Stud it, stud it
Sneech, reach
Nut it, nut it
Bleach, beach
Where will we fall
Where will we fall
Where will we fall
Before the darkness hits
Animal midnight
A shit for a brain
Crawl up a leech line
Shocking to me in the yellow and blue
Is it piss?
Is it sky?
Is it why we try?
You
You don't see me
Because you
You won't change
You
You don't see me
Because you
You won't change
The lyrics of Stephen Malkmus's song "Animal Midnight" can be interpreted as a commentary on the frustrating dynamics of a one-sided and unchanging relationship. The singer is clearly in a relationship with someone who takes them for granted - someone who sees sacrifice as a form of flirting and friendship as a convenience. The singer is left wondering what their partner is made of, questioning whether they are anything substantial at all. This is further emphasized by the metaphorical language in the lyrics - comparing the partner to unstable rayon and dust.
The singer is also frustrated by their partner's lack of willingness to change or evolve, despite their attempts to bring them to life. The partner's intuition is calibrated to "feed the kill," suggesting that they are predatory and do not care about the emotional well-being of others. The repeated line "you won't change" highlights the singer's sense of powerlessness in the relationship. The final lines of the song suggest a sense of impending doom - "where will we fall before the darkness hits" - and the image of animal midnight suggests a sense of wildness and unpredictability.
Line by Line Meaning
Sacrifice for you is just flirtation
Doing things for you is just a way to impress you
And friendship a cold convenience
Being friends with you is only convenient with no real warmth or caring
I wonder sometimes what you're made of
I question what kind of person you really are
Is it rayon or is it dust?
I'm not sure if you're superficial or substantial
How you calibrate your intuition
I'm amazed at how you use your instincts to your advantage
Such that it just feeds the kill
You use your intuition to manipulate and get what you want
And every single night I try to make you come alive
I attempt to make you feel something and connect with me
You shove it right back in my face
You reject my attempts and make me feel foolish
And you
You don't see me
Because you
You won't change
You
You don't see me
Because you
You won't change
You refuse to acknowledge me because you won't change your ways
With your big old Russian (rushin'?) brain
To keep you ahead of the stoplights
Your intelligence helps you stay ahead of others and succeed
You to me is like carbon dioxide
You know I won't be your frozen rose
You are toxic to me and I can't be the perfect partner you desire
Why don't you just let me get up, yeah
Before you do the rowdy, rowdy, rowdy rough?
Let me leave before you start causing problems and drama
reach, reach
Cut it, cut it
Reach, bleach
Stud it, stud it
Sneech, reach
Nut it, nut it
Bleach, beach
Random nonsensical lyrics
Where will we fall
Where will we fall
Where will we fall
Before the darkness hits
Where will our relationship end up before it's too late
Animal midnight
A shit for a brain
Crawl up a leech line
Shocking to me in the yellow and blue
Is it piss?
Is it sky?
Is it why we try?
More random nonsensical lyrics
You
You don't see me
Because you
You won't change
You
You don't see me
Because you
You won't change
You refuse to acknowledge me because you won't change your ways
Lyrics © OBO APRA/AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind