Judging by those crisp and captivating photos, it’s pretty obvious that I was there for last night’s “secret” MySpace Malkmus (MalkSpace™) show at Satyricon.

Starting around 9pm (a blatant disregard for the thrilling end of the Blazers game, which was going on at the exact same time), Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks took the tiny stage and blazed through Real Emotional Trash, sounding like a band that is relieved to finally have their record out, and at the same time, eager to share these sprawling new tunes with the masses. The jamming guitar haze of “Baltimore” hung in the thick air for what felt like an eternity, “Gardenia” was bouncy and energetic, and the sleepy rumble of “Out Of Reaches,” the album’s finest track, was the evening’s true highlight. Plus the impromptu Pavement reunion, where they played all your favorite songs, ended world hunger, and got mom and dad back together, was great too relaxed atmosphere of Malkmus and company made it seem more like a casual concert for friends of the band, instead of a promotion by a corporate social networking website.

Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks - Baltimore (live in Portland, but not from last night. It’s from a January 20th show, available here)