Though the Jack Black-featuring video for ‘Senator’ may soak up all the attention for this track, this latest offering from the Peter Pan of alternative rock Steven Malkmus (not forgetting The Jicks) is notable in its own right.
‘Senator’ opens with buoyant guitars and a catchy vocal hook, and it’s very much a cheeky and enjoyable ride thereafter. The track is a cut from the band’s latest record Mirror Traffic and bears some of the hallmarks of Beck, who produced it. Hilariously, the original lyric (“What the senator wants is a blow job”) had to be replaced to make it radio friendly, so after an online competition any young children who are into American indie will wonder why the hell “what the senator wants is a corndog”. ‘Senator’ is a fun song with satirical lyrics, a sunny slice of Americana, and is rather reminiscent of Malkmus’s earlier work with Pavement.
If you fancy a laugh, check out some of the other entries to the competition here.
