Stephen Malkmus is a pivotal figure in indie rock music. He made some of the most acclaimed rock albums of the 1990s as frontman of Pavement, and continues to innovate with Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks. He released "Sparkle Hard," his seventh album with the Jicks, earlier this year. It's an eclectic record that showcases the quartet's musical versatility. Malkmus stopped by the CPR Performance Studio before a concert at the Gothic Theatre. He played stripped-down versions of four Jicks songs and spoke with Bruce Trujillo about watching the 2018 World Cup while on tour, the political themes on "Sparkle Hard" and how he keeps up with new music.