Brighten the Corners

Curbing their smarty-pants indulgences, these wiseacres get down to business, crafting indie guitar rock that ebbs and flows with delicate power. Singer-guitarist Stephen Malkmus even has flashes of sincerity: ”A voice coach taught me to sing/He couldn’t teach me to love.” The warbling Malkmus could use more voice lessons, and the production is thinner than a supermodel, but Brighten the Corners proves there are still signs of life in this otherwise moribund genre.