Robert Pollard is Off to Business
My review of Robert Pollard is Off to Business ran today in the Boston Phoenix.
I’m a tremendous Guided by Voices fan, but I’ve found it hard to dig deeply into Pollard’s solo work. He’s got a lot of ideas, and could use a good editor to help him sift through it all and separate the good from the bad. I’m happy to say, however, that Robert Pollard is Off to Business is an exceptional release, perhaps his most focused, most entertaining in years (and that includes GBV releases).
The last Pollard release I reviewed, last summer’s Sgt. Disco (under the name Circus Devils), had brief glimmers of the old Bob mixed in with some sludgy, failed experiments in metal-tinged dirge-rock. It was about 20 songs too long, and each song was about a minute too short. Somebody must have finally gotten to Pollard and told him to knock it off, because Robert Pollard is Off To Business is remarkably brief and tight. It’s only 10 songs, but some of those songs actually take the time to develop their ideas beyond the two, three, and four minute mark.
This album sounds like the album Pollard was trying to make with his last few GBV releases, something that mixes the indie rock with the arena rock and finds them both in perfect harmony. It’s like Under the Bushes, Under the Stars meets Little Creatures. I’ve had it stuck in my head for weeks now, and I’m still loving songs like “Gratification to Concrete” and its blissfully buoyant melody.
Leave a Comment