In late 1999, when soon-to-be-ex-Pavement frontman Stephen Malkmus hung a pair of handcuffs from his microphone stand and declared, "This is what it's like being in a band. Thanks for coming tonight and all these years," the world of indie rock lost a true pioneer. Pavement's insistence on leaving the guitars untuned, its refusal to employ musical conventions like verses and choruses and the fact that the drums sounded exactly like they do in everyone's garage immediately endeared the band to those who lamented the dearth of creative rock music in the early '90s.

Just when the indie world seems to have found new representation in the likes of Modest Mouse and Built to Spill, Malkmus has released his first solo album. You can hardly get a minute into the self-titled record without being reminded of that trademark Pavement sound. The band's final album, "Terror Twilight," was essentially a vehicle for Malkmus' songwriting and, in many ways, the record picks up right where it left off.

But the "just another Pavement record" label won't stick so easily. The Jicks, Malkmus' backing band, sounds far more polished than Pavement ever did. Even their supposedly more disorganized moments sound more calculated than Pavement did in its heyday. Moreover, Malkmus is more willing to throw in a keyboard or two and even create songs that are undeniably "pop."

The album's highlight unquestionably comes with "Church on White." Its chiming guitars and rise-and-fall melody are completely captivating and just as solid as any of Pavement's guitar epics.

"Discretion Grove," the first single, appears to be a straightforward, guitar-driven track. But Malkmus' trademark deadpan vocals make it anything but ordinary.

The album includes a number of songs that are downright playful. The zany feel of "Troubbble" will have you singing along on the first listen. In "Trojan Curfew," Malkmus sings of romance amidst the Trojan War and quite hilariously rhymes "doric arch" with "pyhrric march."

Pavement fans and non-Pavement fans alike will be able to take this record for what it is: a very likeable collection of indie pop songs that, while doing nothing mind-blowing, will definitely nestle their way into your head for some time to come.