Well, there is an intimidating amount of albums by Robert Pollard in the post-Guided By Voices canon (2004-2010). Where to start? If you are aware of Pollard's brilliance, you are also aware that many of his solo albums and side projects can be somewhat inconsistent. For every fantastic gem, there might be a couple that should have been left in the vaults to germinate or simply extinguish. I will attempt to give an honest and critical review of Bob's post-GBV work with as much candor and thought - through the prism of an uber-fan.
And this is where Natural Blues comes into play. I have listened to, absorbed, and attempted to grasp the nuances of most every Pollard album since the dissolution of Guided By Voices in 2004. I have found that it is easy to understand the career arc of GBV much more easily than that of Pollard, since he releases so many albums every year. It is difficult to get a grip on what he is doing in any linear fashion (itself a futile goal, I grant you). But given that he seems on an upswing with Boston Spaceships, some recent solo records, and the Guided By Voices Classic Line-Up tour this year, I think it's time to give some attention to what Pollard has done since the official break-up of GBV in 2004. Alright, are you with me? Great. This should be fun. I am going to try to go in chronological order, with some posts commenting on live shows since 2004, and some general comments on Pollard's work along the way.
Right now, I've posted a few album covers and widgets from Grooveshark. This new web service has allowed me to embed music quite easily, and allowed it to function as a streaming radio service. You can't download the songs for free, and obviously, I encourage you to purchase the records based on their own merits. The songs I've posted are my favorites from the records, and hopefully give an idea of the range of music on each album. Of course, they are available for purchase individually from major online sources.
But you should just go and visit the Factory of Raw Essentials which is the main place to purchase Pollard related musical items.
And if you are still somewhat bewildered as to why I would devote time and energy to a recording artist you may not have heard about, here are a couple of links that should get you up to speed on Robert Pollard, Guided by Voices, and why it is all so good.
Guided by Voices Of Experience; It Took 2,000 Songs to Get These Aging Rockers Rolling
2 comments:
Joe: Awesome idea and an awesome site. I thought you were busy writing a dissertation or something... "insects and sadists: the polymorphism of bob", was it?
One suggestion from the peanut gallery -- what about reviewing the discs chronologically. I think most of these discs sound better to me over time. They need to age a couple yrs before a decent review can be written. Just a thought.
--V (co-captain of industry)
Yes, I am going to review these chronologically. Jumped the gun on Space City Kicks since I was listening to that this week. Next week I am moving forward on a review and discussion of "From a Compound Eye", Pollard's post-GBV magnum opus.
Post a Comment