Pitchfork

Where would unconventional vocalists like Stephen Malkmus be without Bob Dylan? Playing guitar and singing backup somewhere, probably. The connection between Pavement at their loose and playful extreme and Dylan in Basement Tapes mode always seemed obvious, but hearing Malkmus here, covering "Maggie's Farm" for the I'm Not There OST, you realize how deeply the latter's phrasing is embedded in rock as a whole. As with some of the other songs we've heard from the album, Malkmus is clearly referencing the distinctive sound of Dylan's voice. But it's interesting to note, as he adheres to how words were expressed "Dylan style" in the mid-1960s, that his own unusual phrasing sounds slightly constricted, his personal approach accenting words, equally idiosyncratic, is sacrificed to the cause of Dylan homage. And he sounds less like a quirky indie icon and more like a real professional giving a strong reading of a classic song. The times really have changed.

[from the I'm Not There OST; due 10/30/07 on Columbia]