SPIN

It's here, Stephen Malkmus' fifth album, Mirror Traffic, his first since last year's Pavement reunion and arguably his best solo effort yet, is now available to stream online a week before its August 23 release. Listen over at NPR.

With Malkmus' band the Jicks and production from his musical "ally" Beck, Mirror Traffic is a "patient, inviting album that feels like a fresh start from a guy whose recording career spans multiple boom-and-bust cycles...," SPIN writes in our eight-out-of-10 review. "Malkmus and Co. are not half-assing it here. Pavement, even at their best, never had anything like the Jicks' adroit nonchalance... ?[they] have the punchy, relaxed assurance of a group of pros who know exactly how many beers they can drink and still hit ?their marks."

Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks hit the road in late September for a 22-date North American tour featuring opener Ty Segall on select dates. Check out the full itinerary here, then read a Q&A with Malkmus here.