Guided by Voices/Robert Pollard

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cortez the killer
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Re: Guided by Voices/Robert Pollard

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Re: Guided by Voices/Robert Pollard

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You're doing yoeman's work here, Cortez. Keep it up.
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Re: Guided by Voices/Robert Pollard

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Thanks, Cortez. As much as I like the current GBV line up I still miss Tobin. He kind of was a nice counterbalance to Bob. Tobin's solo stuff is excellent as is his artwork.

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Re: Guided by Voices/Robert Pollard

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chuckrh wrote:
Thu Oct 08, 2020 3:25 pm
Thanks, Cortez. As much as I like the current GBV line up I still miss Tobin. He kind of was a nice counterbalance to Bob. Tobin's solo stuff is excellent as is his artwork.
I agree. That first Airport 5 collaboration is excellent, too.
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Re: Guided by Voices/Robert Pollard

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Clams wrote:
Thu Oct 08, 2020 2:13 pm
You're doing yoeman's work here, Cortez. Keep it up.
Thanks, Clams. Not sure how much you connect with Pollard's work, but I think the new Tobin Sprout record, Empty Horses, is in your wheelhouse. Great autumn album, too.
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Re: Guided by Voices/Robert Pollard

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cortez the killer wrote:
Tue Sep 29, 2020 3:24 pm
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A Will Johnson (yes, that Will Johnson) original baseball art painting.
that's awesome.

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Re: Guided by Voices/Robert Pollard

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Pollard's Top Fiddy Records (as of June 2020)
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Re: Guided by Voices/Robert Pollard

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cortez the killer wrote:
Thu Oct 15, 2020 5:15 pm
Pollard's Top Fiddy Records (as of June 2020)
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Bob showing his age, haha. Just read album #3 for 2020 coming soon.

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Re: Guided by Voices/Robert Pollard

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chuckrh wrote:
Thu Oct 15, 2020 6:51 pm
Just read album #3 for 2020 coming soon.
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Re: Guided by Voices/Robert Pollard

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Styles We Paid For (2020)

As the Coronavirus wreaks havoc on all aspects of society, there appears to be one entity that is largely unaffected by the global pandemic – Guided By Voices and their unwavering commitment to crank out album after album. The lineup of Robert Pollard, Doug Gillard, Kevin March, Mark Shue and Bobby Bare Jr. remain in tact to release their ninth consecutive record as a unit; their sixth in the past two years and the third of 2020. Travis Harrison once again assumes the role of The Wizard of Oz, producing and engineering the record behind the scenes. The original plan for the project, whose working title was Before Computers, was to record the album live to two-track tape at Harrison’s Brooklyn, NY studio, Serious Business Music. However, as the virus took over the world, that band was forced to adjust. “When COVID hit, plans changed,” Harrison explains in a recent interview with Discogs. “The production of the album became possible because of computers, which we constantly use anyway.” Gillard, Bare, and Shue tracked their parts at home in New York, Tennessee, and Virginia, respectively, while Harrison tracked Pollard’s vocals in Dayton in a socially-distanced manner. In the same Discogs interview, Pollard explains, “I knew we were going to continue to be creatively active. That’s the most important aspect of being a band. We’re constantly making records in perpetual motion. It never stops. Projects overlap. We’re finished with a follow-up album or two before the previous one is released. It’s always been this way with this lineup, and COVID-19 has done nothing to disrupt the flow.” Amazingly, the band was able to craft a tight, fifteen-song album that clocks in at an economical thirty-eight minutes. A stylistically diverse record, Styles We Paid For is one of the most consistent records Guided By Voices has ever released and, for my money, stands neck-and-neck with this lineup’s other brilliant album, Space Gun. Considering the circumstances under which this album was forged, and the fact it is the third full-length record the band released in 2020, Styles We Paid For is a remarkable achievement. Keep it in motion indeed!


1. Megaphone Riley – Album barrels out the gate with Pollard taking a few shots at the outgoing president and his enablers on this classic GBV chugger. The perfect mood setter that builds and builds like all good-to-great Guided By Voices songs do. Mandatory fist pumping commences at the 1:30 mark. “You bravely lead the army to slaughter and force the horses to drink poison water.” (9)
2. They Don’t Play the Drums Anymore – Another chugger that, not surprisingly, features a wide array of percussion. “They sit, beating theirs puds and starting, staring at their screen savers.” (7.5)
3. Slaughterhouse – We get out third chugger in a row, but this one carries a more menacing snarl than the previous two tracks. Some excellent bass courtesy of Mark Shue and Doug Gillard lays down some fantastic guitar lines that weave in and out of the track. I’m not 100% what goes on down at the slaughterhouse, but I know it’s some dark shit. “They taught the babies to smoke, down at the slaughterhouse.” (10)
4. Endless Seafood – Love the sequencing here. Bob follows up the darkness that is “Slaughterhouse” with a light, breezy slice of sunshine pop. Hard not to grin ear-to-ear when this song comes on. Creamy delightfulness up till the last 1/3 of the track when Pollard tacks on some proggy goodness. “You can write a song with the truth.” (10)
5. Mr. Child – The lead single from the album is this post-punk flavored rocker, featuring some fantastic Gillard riffage. While the Wire influence is strong here, in my mind, the “Hey-hey-hey-hey’s” during the outro are a hat tip and tribute to “Ain’t Talkin’ ‘Bout Love” and Eddie Van Halen’s passing. “Mr. Child knows his role – to roll with the punches and remain a child.” (8.5)
6. Stops - Long lost cousin to Honey Locust Honky Tonk’s “Airs.” I love when Bob taps into his more understated, melancholic side. This track is a shining example of the type of brilliance to be discovered when he does so. “To drink to nothing is the real thing.” (10)
7. War of the Devils – More art-rock Wire influence as this starts out with some spasmodic synth before morphing into another grinding, chugger. Concludes with a bombastic March explosion as the song goes completely off the rails. “No reentry into the tent.” (8)
8. Electronic Windows to Nowhere – New Wave GBV! After all, Ric Ocasek did produce 1999’s Do the Collapse. The first of three songs that doesn’t quite make it to the two-minute mark. Old school Bob bemoaning modern technology. “Their images are glamoured and make a lovely pair. Electronic windows to nowhere.” (8)
9. Never Abandon Ship – Love the lunging, stop-and-start dynamics the band works up here. Gillard supplies some great licks and March is a steady force behind the kit. Another sub-two-minute nugget from the master of them. “On curiosity’s wounded duck, no longer concede defeat.” (8)
10. Roll Me to Heaven – Another grinding, chugger of a song with March’s thunderous drums bringing some added punch. Just over a minute in, the song meanders off in a completely different direction before its dramatic conclusion. I know I’ve said it multiple times, but it truly is amazing how much Pollard can pack into a song that is only 2:17 long. “Emptying the water mouth of shipping crates to outer space.” (8.5)
11. In Calculus Stratagem – Probably the most beautiful song on the album, this possesses a cinematic, roll-the-credits feel. Gillard’s guitar work here is retrained but still maintains its power. “Strange and so far out of whack. And watch you blast away the threads, like the splitting of an atom, with your nonstop verbal battering in calculus stratagem.” (9)
12. Crash at Lake Placebo – Pollard ups the pop aspect of the equation on this bouncy power pop track with hints of proggy synth added to keep it from floating away. Certainly one of the catchier songs on the record. “Now the air is cool. The end is near. The change has made them run in fear.” (8)
13. Liquid Kid – This fucking song…. Instant Pollard classic. This is where Bob’s kitchen sink approach to crafting songs knocks it out of the park. Again, he accomplishes in three minutes and twenty-two seconds what most artists would require over seven minutes to do. Songs tip-toes in an ominous way to start, working to find its footing. The transition to grab-you-by-the-throat rocker at the 1:25 is my favorite moment on the album. March’s drumming is exceptional and Doug adds some incredible synth/horns. This is a special, anthemic GBV track. “He’s the liquid kid and he’s a product of his generation. On a globe of containers and they move like mercury.” (11)
14. Time Without Looking – Melancholic Bob returns on the album’s shortest track (1:43). You get the sense that he is starting to grapple with his own mortality. “Where do they go? After the gold rush? After the screen test?” (9)
15. When Growing Was Simple – The perfect closer for a great record. Tempo is slowed down significantly and the song has a hazy feel to it and Bob reflects on the different stages of his life. Again, starting to reflect on one’s own mortality. Love how the track simply falls apart in the end. “Don’t drink and drive. Stay at home and eat.” (8)
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Re: Guided by Voices/Robert Pollard

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^^^^^ I bought it. Another winner. You could go broke trying to keep up with Robert's output! I used to try to, now I'm a bit more picky being on a fixed income. I splurged & bought 3 cds on the same day. GBV, AC/DC & DBT. All are worthy!

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Re: Guided by Voices/Robert Pollard

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Re: Guided by Voices/Robert Pollard

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Coming soon...
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Re: Guided by Voices/Robert Pollard

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cortez the killer wrote:
Wed Apr 21, 2021 9:26 am
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Coming soon...
Big thumbs up! I'll be buying this one for sure.

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Re: Guided by Voices/Robert Pollard

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Re: Guided by Voices/Robert Pollard

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cortez the killer wrote:
Tue May 04, 2021 7:29 pm
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Pre-order
Wow, that's a new record even for Robert. 4 days after release day for the current record. I read an interview once where Robert said he can write 3 songs on the crapper & 2 of them will be good. :D

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Re: Guided by Voices/Robert Pollard

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chuckrh wrote:
Wed May 05, 2021 4:08 am
cortez the killer wrote:
Tue May 04, 2021 7:29 pm
Image
Pre-order
Wow, that's a new record even for Robert. 4 days after release day for the current record. I read an interview once where Robert said he can write 3 songs on the crapper & 2 of them will be good. :D
I went with the bowling shirt/vinyl bundle. :lol: :oops:
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Re: Guided by Voices/Robert Pollard

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Earth Man Blues (2021)

Pollard calls Earth Man Blues, their latest album and the band’s 33rd release, both a “collage of rejected songs” and a loose concept musical “focused on the growth of young Harold Admore Harold through a coming of age and a reckoning with darkness.” The press release for the album lays out for the listener what to expect:
The result is Earth Man Blues, which Pollard calls “a collage of rejected songs” set for release on April 30th. Despite Pollard’s humble tone, however, it’s one of GBV’s most eclectic, adventurous records to date, careening between heavy-rockers reminiscent of Black Sabbath, guitar lines cribbed from early 2000s pop-punk, near-rock operas worthy of the Who, and sweet little swingers that sound like the Monkees melting in the sun. There’s even a sample from an old stenographer instruction album.
Since its release, the positive critical response Earth Man Blues has been showered with is quite surprising when you consider that Pollard has been releasing multiple albums a year for several decades. Don’t get me wrong. Earth Man Blues is very good, but I don’t think it stands above much of the material Pollard’s released over the past several years. It was the first GBV record Pitchfork reviewed since 2017’s How Do You Spell Heaven. I’m unclear as to why they ignored the seven albums in between. In her Rolling Stone review, Brenna Ehrlich declared that Earth Man Blues “could be the band’s best album since 1995’s Alien Lanes.” I appreciate the sentiment Brenna, but come on! As Fred Thomas states in his AllMusic review:
Prolific output has always been a component of Guided by Voices' charm, but during the phase that began around 2012's Let's Go Eat the Factory, the band kicked into overdrive like never before. Since that point, it wasn't uncommon for a single calendar year to see two or three full-length GbV albums, and 33rd studio album Earth Man Blues comes just months after 2020's Styles We Paid For (already the band's third album of that year). Despite this unending stream of new material, the band shows no signs of diluting creativity, and the 15 songs on Earth Man Blues find songwriter Bob Pollard exploring the weirder corners of his mind in between delivering more straightforward power pop bangers.
Despite a tepid review for the album, I think Robin Ferris of The Line of Best Fit makes a solid point regarding GBV:
Despite a whopping 33-album-long career, Guided By Voices have smartly remained kings of the underground rather than graduating to small players in the mainstream. Robert Pollard’s songwriting remains relatively fool-proof even after all these years, granting the band a more consistent and vast discography than virtually any of their lo-fi ‘90s contemporaries.
And, finally, recent Middlebury College graduate and Pitchfork Associate Editor , Hubert Adjei-Kontoh, in his Earth Man Blues review perceptively proclaims:
Pollard projects a grand ambition that can’t be summarized in a single story: To create a body of work so sprawling that fans spend their entire lives listening to find hits as great as the song that hooked them.
And while quality will always outweigh quantity, it is not wise to assume prolific means a dilution of quality. May I introduce you to Robert Ellsworth Pollard Jr.?

1. Made Man – The proceedings kick off with Kevin March authoritatively cracking his drumsticks together. If I didn’t know these songs are leftovers from the classic lineup reunion, I’d be hard-pressed not to think this one is a spillover from the Pollard, Slushy, Moen collaboration, Boston Spaceships. Starts out as a straightforward garage, power pop charger before taking an abrupt detour into some alternative psychedelic chamber orchestra universe with Bob’s vocals being significantly altered. “And I’m fairly in tune, but I come undone when I get happy.” (7)
2. The Disconnected Citizen – Gorgeous, lush acoustic guitars usher this ballad in. Bob slows and drops his voice down into Eddie Vedder territory. I’m assuming it Doug Gillard who whips up the stately string arrangements that elevate this track. Pollard being Pollard tacks on some creepy, Harold Pig Memorial-esque Circus Devils effects during the outro. “And I was collected by voices dark and echoing my mood, something like a psychogenic fugue.” (8)
3. The Batman Sees the Ball – Very hard to believe this song was originally a reject. The “hit” of the album is a power pop/prog hybrid rocker. The band is firing on all cylinders, with Doug Gillard providing some signature guitar wizardry. Fist-pumpers everywhere will rally around this track. “Roosters decide to kick it. Too many cockblockers in the way.” (10)
4. Dirty Kid School – The COVID-shaming anthem of 2021! Somewhat catchy and somewhat awkward. Bob has traditionally held close to the 4 Ps (pop, punk, psych & prog), but here he taps into his inner-Sondheim and incorporates some musical theatre into the mix. The bridge sounds like it’s ripped from the West Side Story soundtrack. “All day you will save your strength so you can run for another day to fight for dirty school kid pride.” (6)
5. Trust Them Now – The album shifts back to more familiar territory on this needle-in-the-red rocker that brings to mind “King Arthur the Red” off 2012’s excellent The Bears for Lunch. The guitars are fast and furious and March continues to kill it behind the kit. Undeniable ass-shaker that is destined to whip the crowd into a frenzy at the next live show. “Let filthy toxic visions be destroyed with every expectation for a boy to find happiness but not joy.” (9)
6. Lights Out in Memphis (Egypt) – Side one closes out with 5:41 psych/prog epic featuring some phenomenal, sci-fi-sounding synths. I’ve mentioned it several times over the course of these write-ups - nobody but Robert Pollard crafts a song like this. The liner notes introduce this track with the following, “Wildly popular apocalyptic sci-fi television series now in final season 9.” The abrupt stylistic changes and arrangements here provide some insight as to perhaps why the classic lineup wasn’t up to the task of giving this song the proper treatment Bob envisioned. However, this current lineup crushes it. They even bring back some musical theatre arrangements back into the mix, starting at the 3:44 mark before transitioning back to a brooding, proggy space twenty seconds later. “Trained alien sales reps for Aluminum Can Siberia in your homes.” (9)
7. Free Agents – Pollard reaches back in time conjuring up a sound that wouldn’t be out of place on his 1998 solo album Waved Out. This propulsive, two-minute rocker also benefits some more fantastic synths courtesy of Gillard. Crack open a Gold Top and pump your fist along with me. “We all shine like diamond rings. Never been to heaven, but I’ve heard good things.” (8.5)
8. Sunshine Girl Hello – The master collagist, Bob dips back into the well and stitches two different songs to together to make one cohesive track. The intro/outro are credited in the liner notes as “Fighter Back of Tears.” Sandwiched in between those great snippets is a great slice of pop introduced by someone declaring, “One count one, slap your knees.” That transition has a Cash Rivers feel to it. The meat of this song is another Boston Spaceships-sounding track that sounds like an outtake take from either Zero to 99 or Let It Beard. Man, I miss Boston Spaceships! “She wanted to stay behind, but I got a race car mind - don’t like to wait.” (8)
9. Wave Starter – This song is introduced in the liner notes with the following snippet – “Fun at the beach followed by an unexpected child.” Nothing like some sex on the beach. Well, I suppose the resulting child is something. Strong R.E.M. feel in this 1:33 jaunty rocker. “And I want you. And I want you to tell ‘em ‘bout me.” (7)
10. Ant Repellent – Not only is Pollard a talented and prolific musician, he’s also a huge record nerd. Outside of The Who, The Beatles, The Bee Gees, Wire and several other of the more popular bands he's drawn inspiration from and championed over the years, he is a huge fan of the band Sparks. Their influence is all over this track. Love how the chorus belts out – “Ant re pell ant! Ant re pell ant!” (6.5)
11. Margaret Middle School – Only a minute and ten seconds long, but what a song! The guitar tones here are intoxicating, leaving you thirsting for more. It truly is insane how much Pollard can pack into a song that just eclipses the one-minute mark. “But girls take a chance for the fact that the boys can’t dance.” (9)
12. I Bet Hippy – A bit more muted a track with some atmospherics and echo effects to Bob’s voice added in by producer/engineer Travis Harrison. This is one of the tracks the classic lineup definitely could’ve handled, but I think Travis’ production makes this one ultimately work. “I bet Hippy. I will wander North and South.” (6)
13. Test Pilot – Another no-nonsense, minute-and-a-half power pop gem to add to your GBV Bangers playlist. Bob adopting a bit of a slurred and slightly constipated vocal styling for this one. “Since you may not have my number, I’m gonna call on you.” (7)
14. How Can a Plumb be Perfected? – Pollard employs another stylistic detour here. This time we travel to 80s Dunedin, New Zealand seeking inspiration from The Chills. I love the contrast of Bob’s low, hushed vocals during the verses against the borderline-falsetto he adopts for the choruses. The arrangement and production is perfectly haunting and atmospheric. Another uniquely-Pollard song to add to the ever-growing canon. “How can a plumb be for all time still completely perfect? I sit around always thinking about how?” (8.5)
15. Child’s Play – Following the delicate beauty of “How Can a Plumb be Perfected?” the album concludes with a high-energy ass-shaker. All bow to the glorious genius of Doug Gillard. The blast of synths that creep in around the forty second mark are sublime. Just a great way to end the record. “Child’s play is wanton. Porcelain and glass.” (9)
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Re: Guided by Voices/Robert Pollard

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Re: Guided by Voices/Robert Pollard

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Re: Guided by Voices/Robert Pollard

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This has me really excited for Clang Clang Ho.
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Re: Guided by Voices/Robert Pollard

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I got tickets for GBV in Seattle in March. Hopefully health issues will allow me to go. They actually playing on a Saturday for a change!

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Re: Guided by Voices/Robert Pollard

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I really hope you get to see that show, Chuck.
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Re: Guided by Voices/Robert Pollard

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Re: Guided by Voices/Robert Pollard

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Clang Clang Ho (2021)

Coming a few months off the heels of Guided By Voices’ thirty-third studio record, Earth Man Blues, is a full length album from Pollard’s latest side project, Cub Scout Bowling Pins. Or is it a side project? Having already released an EP (Heaven Beats Iowa) in January 2021, this “side project” consists of all the current members of Pollard’s primary musical vehicle, Guided By Voices. The difference is the members of Cub Scout Bowling Pins are listed in the liner notes as follows: Robert Ramby, Doug Downer, Travis LaMacchia, Mark Parente, Bobby Sterling and Kevin Williamson. For decades, in addition to GBV, Pollard released material as a solo artist, with Circus Devils, and a whole host of other aliases. Since assembling this current lineup of Guided By Voices, he has not released a single solo album and disbanded Circus Devils. The only other side project he’s been involved with is Cash Rivers and The Sinners, a semi-parody country & western band that revels in sophomoric humor. Like Cub Scout Bowling Pins, that band is also comprised of current GBV members using pseudonyms. For anyone that has followed along with this thread, Pollard loves to explore a wide range of styles and influences in his music. And while GBV albums are certainly eclectic explorations of Pollard’s 4 Ps of music (pop, punk, psych & prog), he has typically used other side projects to delve deeper into the recesses of his musical mind. In a Fall 2020 interview with Goldmine magazine, Pollard had the following to say about how he decides what to record with GBV and what winds up on a side project, “There’s really no difference to me except now, everything is pretty much Guided By Voices. It’s the brand name that seems to click with everyone. Also, the new lineup is so talented and enthusiastic I just want them to be involved with everything. I call the EP we just finished Cub Scout Bowling Pins because we incorporated an entirely different process of writing where everyone was involved. On Guided By Voices records, I pretty much write everything.” For Clang Clang Ho, Pollard recorded boombox acapella demos and distributed them to each band member, tasking them to come up with the music for the song. On the record, Pollard’s original boombox vocals are preserved as-is, with whatever arrangement the band member came up with dubbed over. It’s the ultimate collaborative project. Making things more interesting, we are given no indication which band member is responsible for which track. The release info for the project is as follows:
Cub Scout Bowling Pins hop in the "Magic Taxi", turn on the AM radio and time travel forty to forty-five years back in time. The project is mysteriously presented, but it's a thinly-veiled alias of the ridiculously prolific and talented Guided By Voices.

Minus the usual punk and prog influences, there are strong whiffs of bubble gum, psych and soft rock with sugary doses of ornate baroque pop. Long renowned scholars of rock, the Ohio players have occasionally worn their influences on their sleeves, but this time they seemingly have their jackets on inside out.

Perhaps conceptually similar to how GBV went tongue-in-cheek "country" backing Cash Rivers & The Sinners in 2018, but Cub Scout Bowling Pins is a thousand times subtler, like an eccentric cousin of GBV with the craziness knob turned up by 10%. And while Cash Rivers discs trade hands among collectors on Discogs for hundreds of dollars, Cub Scout Bowling Pins' debut 7-inch Heaven Beats Iowa was recently spotted for sale for no less than $10,000.

On their debut long player, America's newest hit-makers dip into retro-futuristic weirdness, side-by-side with whimsical sophistication and candy-coated technicolor complexity. In the flip-flop world of Summer 2021, transistor radios will vibrate with the sweet and hooky "We" and "Nova Mona" while "© 1-2-3" will "climb" the "charts".

"Ride My Earthmobile" spins like an even-more demented 13th Floor Elevators. Is that Jimmy Webb or Lee Hazlewood hidden behind the latest issue of "The Telegraph Hill Gazette"? "Schoolmaster Bones" chortles with a groovy pretzel logic, while "Space Invader" and "Magic Taxi" beckon with jangling guitars, shimmering strings, mellotrons and vintage synths.

Following three critically-lauded GBV albums recorded in quarantine in 2020, is this a light-hearted detour, a midlife crisis or just good clean Pandemic fun? Cub Scout Bowling Pins beg the questions: exactly what drugs are they taking? And where can we get some? Clang Clang Ho!
1. Magic Taxi – If a sparkling summer day were a song, it would be this. So light, it feels like it will just blow away. Obvious nod to The Who's "Magic Bus" is obvious. “Do not, please, go away.” (7)
2. Flip Flop World – Sounds like something that would’ve been in one of those 60s Beach party films starring Frankie Avalon and Annette Funicello. “Everybody living in a flop flop world.” (5)
3. Casino Hair Wife – Another fantastic song title from Bob has him bringing out the underwater, falsetto vocal styling, with him squeezing out every last drop during the outro. “The nicknames spare you. Dare you. Promise her anything.” (6)
4. Ride My Earthmobile – The band dials up the psych with, as the release notes point out, an obvious influence courtesy of Roky Erickson and his 13th Floor Elevators. “Squeeze another horn. Jump on the band. Breathe in the service escaping balloons.” (6)
5. Schoolmaster Bones – Another stylistic shift from psych to shiny pop. Many of the songs on here are snippets, but this one has the feel of a fleshed-out song. Love the opening transition from piano to acoustic guitar to those staple power-pop handclaps. Also, Doug drops a brief, but filthy guitar part just before the 1:50 mark. “Terrible, do tell.” (7.5)
6. Eggs, Mother? – We get some 60s bouncy, baroque pop featuring some great keys. “London apples and London kings bless her pie, for cry, she did not.” (6)
7. Strange Walk Home – Bob goes back to pull out a similar pound-my-back-Jim vocal styling utilized on past classics “Chicken Blows” and “Submarine Teams.” The Fading Captain puts his signature touch on the outro. “I had a strange walk home. I never made it.” (6.5)
8. Nova Mona – Hard to not tap your foot along to this jaunty number which is the only track on the album to eclipse the 2:30 mark. Rhythm section works up a good groove and we get some horns! One of the more unique songs in Pollard’s vast discography. “Nova Mona, have you come to win again?” (7)
9. The Telegraph Gazette – Beautiful, acoustic, folk-styled ballad that, as the release note point out, appears to take inspiration from such past country-pop recording giants as Jimmy Webb and Lee Hazleton. Cash Rivers and The Sinners are all grown up now. Love the harmonizing in the second half of the song. “I tip a glass to the heights you can attain and next shall desire a lime.” (7.5)
10. Everybody Loves a Baboon – Side One concludes with a silly, drunken-sounding snippet that repeats over and over how everybody loves a baboon. “Sick people love a baboon – a super groupie love baboon.” (3)
11. © 1-2-3 – Side Two comes out very strong with the “hit” of the album, which also was the lead single. Creamy and dreamy, packed with hooks, this is an incredible song that would’ve been a summer radio staple back when that was a thing. “This is the place to be.” (10)
12. Sister Slam Dance – At first glance, this is a curious sequencing. We go from sunny, hooky pop to a dark, menacing proto metal track that sounds like a long-lost, early-70s metal track from a band like Toad, Leaf Hound, Captain Beyond or Sir Lord Baltimore. Once we get a few more glances, we can fully appreciate the genius of this one-two punch to open the second half of the record. “Clang clang ho!” (10)
13. It’s Marbles! – Stylistic juxtaposition on this track. The harmonizing vocals conjure a bubblegum pop vibe, but the guitars continue that 70s-styled metal assault from the previous song. “No second banana, radar. The playground champion zeroes in.” (6)
14. Space Invader – Love the horns that kick off this beautiful baroque pop-inspired gem. “I suppose you are a space invader, Key West your landing site. And then by Fourth of July you’ll become a parasite.” (8.5)
15. Human Car – This one kind of spins its wheels and goes nowhere for me. It’s not unpleasant, but there’s nothing that makes it stick like those classic Bob songs do. “Faster than wrath, smarter than the weather, human car. He knows a good time when he sees one.” (5)
16. Competitor – Song comes charging out of the gate and then loses steam. “You can’t keep it up. And first comes the thirst and not the worst and he is the best.” (5)
17. She Cannot Know – Things shift back to that 60s bubblegum pop sound on this track. Rhythm section providing a good gallop. Hard to not feel transported back to a time when The Hollies, Herman’s Hermits and The Searchers ruled the airwaves. “How did you get there? How do you stay there?” (7)
18. We – Bob does it again. Nobody can stuff this many hooks into a song that clocks in at 2:16. Despite its brevity, it possesses a grand, sweeping anthemic feel to it. The Fading Captain steps in as Doug Gillard taps into his inner Pete Townshend and before it can further stretch out, but this one has potential should Bob and the boys decide to rework it down the road on a 2032 GBV record. As it is, it has a strong Sweating the Plague vibe to it. “Drinks for all of us, all of us…” (8.5)
19. Roll Up Your Nose – Back to that baroque pop sound on this string-laden track featuring some more great harmonizing from the band. “So what if Charlie Chaplin dyed his hair? Tell me, why would you even care?” (7)
20. What Crawls Also Flies Over – This song comes marching out of the gate. Love how the guitars have that Who Tommy-era sound to them. Feels like it’s just getting going before it simply runs out of gas and ends at the two-minute mark. “Make a path for its DNA, the war is not over.” (6.5)
You are entitled to your opinion, but you are not entitled to your own facts.
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Re: Guided by Voices/Robert Pollard

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October 22nd release

1. Spanish Coin
2. High in the Rain
3. Dance of Gurus
4. Flying Without a License
5. Psycho House
6. Maintenance Man of the Haunted House
7. I Share a Rhythm
8. Razor Bug
9. I Wanna Monkey
10. Cherub and the Great Child Actor
11. Black and White Eyes in a Prism
12. People Need Holes
13. The Bell Gets Out of the Way
14. Chain Gang Island
15. My (Limited) Engagement

Pre-order

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Re: Guided by Voices/Robert Pollard

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You are entitled to your opinion, but you are not entitled to your own facts.
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Re: Guided by Voices/Robert Pollard

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Teeth kicker
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Re: Guided by Voices/Robert Pollard

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8-)
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Re: Guided by Voices/Robert Pollard

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It’s Not Them. It Couldn’t Be Them. It Is Them! (2021)

The blistering pace continues with a fourth Pollard-associated release for 2021. The year began with an EP (Heaven Beats Iowa) and debut LP (Clang Clang Ho) from new “side project” Cub Scout Bowling Pins. Those releases were followed up in April with Guided By Voices’ thirty-third studio album, Earth Man Blues. And less than six months later Pollard and crew bless the fanbase with another full length GBV record, It’s Not Them. I Couldn’t Be Them. It Is Them! The release notes do another superb job of summarizing the album:
It's been just a few months since Guided By Voice's faux rock opera Earth Man Blues garnered four-star and five-star reviews, with Rolling Stone proclaiming that it "squarely hits all the marks that make Guided By Voices great—again and again and again."

"Again and again and again", is perhaps GBV's credo, with Robert Pollard's never-ending supply of fascinating and supremely catchy rock. Just when one thinks one's got them pinned down, album number thirty-four opens with bizarre percussion, mariachi trumpets, strings and acoustic guitar. The adventurous spirit pervades yet another killer album from the greatest and most versatile GBV line-up. The golden boys (Doug Gillard, Bobby Bare Jr, Mark Shue, Kevin March) can do no wrong.
Pollard just continues to release quality record after quality record with this lineup of Doug Gillard, Kevin March, Mark Shue and Bobby Bare Jr. Travis Harrison returns once again to produce and mix the project. At the tender age of sixty-four, Robert Ellsworth Pollard still has the energy, drive and seemingly endless creative well to churn out such top-quality albums at a mind-numbing, frenetic pace.

1. Spanish Coin – As the release notes allude to, the album opens with bizarre percussion, mariachi trumpets, strings and acoustic guitars. In addition to being the most prolific rock artist to ever live, Pollard is a huge music geek, boasting a massive, eclectic collection of vinyl records. One of his favorite artists is Arthur Lee and his late 60s rock band Love. This track certainly channels the spirit of the iconic 1967 album, Forever Changes. “Climb another wall and maybe you’ll discover everyone’s gone.” (6.5)
2. High in the Rain – Next we have a boilerplate song for this current lineup with those quintessential Pollard vocal melodies and chord changes. This one just chugs right along. “A self-proclaimed hero, immune to all pain, and certainly high everyday.” (7)
3. Dance of Gurus – A great rocker that brings to mind “Billy Wire” off 2012’s Class Clown Spots a UFO. Doug Gillard lays down some fantastic riffs. “He says “party” and throws a fist like a winner.” (9)
4. Flying Without a License – Album takes a detour into some prog territory with a song that sounds like an outtake from the excellent 1999 Pollard/Gillard collaboration, Speak Kindly of Your Volunteer Fire Department. Some great stop-and-start dynamics to close this one out. “My favorite grocer knows the pride of cantaloupe.” (9)
5. Psycho House – A classic GBV chugger with an obvious nod to the Hitchcock classic, Psycho. Ramps up the tension from the opening note and never lets up. Gillard evens lays down a guitar solo ripped from the iconic Psycho soundtrack. “Under the knife, in serious drama, oven baked.” (7)
6. Maintenance Man of the Haunted House – Ever the skilled sequencer, Pollard follows up a song inspired by the Hitchcock classic thriller with a song titled “Maintenance Man of the Haunted House.” Love the menacing arrangement on this one. Hints of Circus Devils everywhere. “And then he goes back in bleeding to where he began reading.” (8)
7. I Share a Rhythm – Things pick up again on this up-tempo fist-pumper. Another classic power pop, garage nugget to add to the impressive canon. “I share my table with flies. We’d swat them otherwise, it’s true.” (7.5)
8. Razor Bug – Side one concludes with another hat tip to one of Bob’s music heroes. This time it’s Captain Beefheart. Pollard loves to drop those line-in-the-sand, avant garde songs in there to challenge the fan base and “Razor Bug” is just that. “Razor Bug is goofy from the shots.” (5)
9. I Wanna Monkey – Side two comes swaggering out of the gate with this jittery track complete with horns and blasts of synths. Love how this one builds to its climactic chorus. “I wanna roll for a second chance. I wanna be conceived.” (8.5)
10. Cherub and the Great Child Actor – Another song that sounds like archetypal GBV. This one fits any line-up Pollard has assembled. “I collect the clouds of morning with my scorning gone with gloom.” (8)
11. Black and White Eyes in a Prism – Whereas the previous track could be pulled off by any GBV line-up, only the current incarnation of the band could pull this beautiful, complex song off. The strings on this one are otherworldly. Stretched out to 4:38, this is one of the longer, more developed songs in the GBV universe. Some shoegaze effects to those guitars here. Really just an incredible song. “No longer viewing in black and white. Everything in between is alright.” (10)
12. People Need Holes – Another propulsive chugger of a song that will raise fists and getting them moving. “Dense politician, mailman and mother, they all come to retire where one wills ire.” (7)
13. The Bell Gets Out of the Way – Creamy perfection. Bob’s vocal performance here is next-level elite. Love the tape effect that kicks in just before the one-minute mark. This song glistens and sparkles. Special props to the trumpet that comes in just past the 1:45 mark. “Keeping it ringing is the best to act upon a body at rest.” (10)
14. Chain Gang Island – This one is my least favorite on the record. By no means is it a bad song. I’ve just never really connected with it, nor has it stuck to my brain like some of the others on here. “Rats are livid and the walls are bitten through.” (5)
15. My (Limited) Engagement – The master sequencer saves this epic anthem to close things out. The lead single for the album, this was love at first listen. This song contains everything a great Guided By Voices track should. It compels you to bob your head, pump your fist and sing at the top of your lungs. Another incredible vocal performance from Bob. “I need a slogan to cling to...” (10)
You are entitled to your opinion, but you are not entitled to your own facts.
- DPM

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