| Sparkle Hard | ||||
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | May 18, 2018 | |||
| Studio | Halfling Studios, Portland, Oregon | |||
| Genre | Indie rock | |||
| Length | 43:41 | |||
| Label |
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| Producer | Chris Funk | |||
| Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Sparkle Hard | ||||
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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]
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AnyDecentMusic? | 7.9/10[4] |
| Metacritic | 84/100[5] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [6] |
| The A.V. Club | B+[7] |
| Financial Times |  [8] |
| The Guardian | [9] |
| Mojo | [10] |
| The Observer | [11] |
| Pitchfork | 8.0/10[12] |
| Q | [13] |
| Rolling Stone | [14] |
| Uncut | 8/10[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]
All tracks are written by Stephen Malkmus
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | |
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