Guided by Voices: Robert Pollard is the king of Indie Rock

The Something Awful Forums > The Finer Arts > No Music Discussion > Guided by Voices: Robert Pollard is the king of Indie Rock

Glug_Glug: Feb 17, 2011

http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/robert-pollard-channels-country-in-i-killed-a-man-who-looks-like-you-20130507

RollingStone posted:

Robert Pollard is back, and this time, the prolific Guided By Voices leader evokes the spirit of Western music on his new album, Honey Locust Honky Tonk. On "I Killed a Man Who Looks Like You," Pollard shapes a somber tale of a ghost singing to himself in the mirror with shimmering, deliberate guitar strums and country's storytelling power.

"Honey Locust Honky Tonk is supposed to be a mock country album even though it's not country, although it is a little more straightforward than albums I typically make," Pollard tells Rolling Stone. "I was going to use a pseudonym � Cash Rivers."

Honey Locust Honky Tonk will be out July 1st worldwide and July 9th in North America.

Thanks for making this thread, Twee. I hadn't heard of them(I know), so I looked them up on spotify and have been listening to them ever since. I've been listening to Aerial Nostalgia through Mag Earwhig! pretty much any chance I can get. Making my way though the discography kinda fast, adding a new album each day. I'm enjoying almost all of it.

Are you from the Disarm the Settlers community, PopZues?

# ¿ May 8, 2013 19:53

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# ¿ Apr 19, 2024 22:44

Glug_Glug: Feb 17, 2011

Myron Baloney posted:

Pollard's solo albums are really some of his best work - but it can be time-consuming to give them the listening time to get into them I guess. I think Kid Marine, Normal Happiness, and especially From a Compound Eye are the best things he's ever done. Having said that I've barely listened to The Bears for Lunch or Class Clown Spots a UFO much less the new one yet.

I'm actually listening to Kid Marine right now. Far-Out Crops has to be be one of my favorite songs by Robert Pollard yet(solo or GBV). It's a very poetic album. Just look at this:

Far-Out Crops posted:

Look to the outside
In the failing garden
In the backwash
Far-out crops
Single-minded erections
Not so observable
From the inside
You must listen
You must look
In a soft-shelled vehicle
Gaze through this book
See them!
In a closet of household items
In a forest of examples
And I'm taking samples
Clipping and saving
Far-out crops

Beautiful.

# ¿ May 9, 2013 18:05

Glug_Glug: Feb 17, 2011

They don't come to the west coast anymore, do they? I would love to see them live. I've been listening to them pretty much exclusively the last two weeks and it has been an amazing ride. They might have even become my favorite band. I really appreciate this thread, I might have lived on in my ignorance but I wouldn't be as happy as I am now.

I have made it to Earthquake Glue, which is just as good as the best GBV albums. Catchy, but weird. I'm surprised you don't have Universal Truths and Cycles up in your first post, I was absolutely blown away by that one(have about 20 listens of that one so far). I suppose you would have every album in your first post if you just put every ones favorite there. It's quite amazing the batting average these guys have.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lw273CvvG5o

^^^Possibly the best song I've heard yet.

I also really enjoyed the first Airport 5 album. IT will be a good one to listen to in the winter.

# ¿ May 14, 2013 09:18

Glug_Glug: Feb 17, 2011

PopZeus posted:

Fun (rumor?) fact about Earthquake Glue: Supposedly My Kind of Soldier, Best of Jill Hives, and Of Mites and Men were originally written for The Strokes, but Pollard liked them too much to give up.

Other fun fact: The Strokes are huge GBV fans and both bands play Family Feud against each other in the music video for Someday!

That's pretty cool. Of Mites and Men has to be my least favorite on the album though.

I'm on my 5th listen of this, and I think I'm fully sold on it. It's got to be the happiest GBV album, besides Sandbox right? It just has a sunny disposition to it. Those two singles, Beat Your Wings, Main Street Wizards, A Trophy Mule in Particular, and Secret Stars are all excellent songs.

# ¿ May 14, 2013 21:15

Glug_Glug: Feb 17, 2011

acephalousuniverse posted:

As someone who is a passing enjoyer of GBV but also a huge Mountain Goats fan (and harsh noise head) I will say that hyper-prolificity doesn't bother me at all. I enjoy watching someone just spill out material and see how their obsessions come through. I'm always in awe of people who can do this stuff semi-automatically in a way. I just don't have that concern for big, novelistic "great albums" but I know some people do and that's cool too. With GBV I enjoyed borrowing my friend's box sets and hearing tons of random stuff.

John Darnielle's output is downright modest compared to Robert Pollard, but I agree with the sentiment of this post.

# ¿ May 15, 2013 02:14

Glug_Glug: Feb 17, 2011

esselfortium posted:

Just saw this post. Awesome.

I'd recommend slowing down at least slightly, though! I've still got a pretty sizable chunk of the overall Pollard-and-friends discography to get through, but I've been trying to restrain myself enough to give each album a bit of time to sink in and grow on me before hurrying past it to the next one. I've been finding again and again that, with few exceptions, most songs I didn't take notice of or particularly care for initially have continually surprised me a few days/weeks/months later.

Too late buddy. I've already listened to all the main albums, except English Little League. I'd say I at least like 80% of what I heard. I've listened to everything at least twice, and some closer to 20 times. I haven't listened to anybody else pretty much since this thread has started. It's become my addiction. Anyways, I plan to focus on some of the albums I didn't listen to as much. Today, I'm going through Let's Go Eat the Factory, which is one of my favorites right now.

Anyways, here is a new song from another Robert side project:

Teenage Guitar "Atlantic Cod"

# ¿ May 16, 2013 19:18

Glug_Glug: Feb 17, 2011

So if anybody is having trouble listening to Robert's solo stuff, might I suggest Elephant Jokes. It's an absolutely fantastic album. It's 22 tracks, about 40 minutes, epic and hilarious. It's up there as one of my favorite albums from him. I listened to it 5 times yesterday, and another time this morning.

Boston Spaceships is pretty great as well. Zero to 99 is what I'm listening to right now. You Satisfy Me, Two Girl Area, Ready to Pop, Canned Food Demons, Tattoo Mission, How Wrong You Are, Exploding Anthills. It's all good to great.

# ¿ May 25, 2013 19:55

Glug_Glug: Feb 17, 2011

UnoriginalMind posted:

I adore the classic albums, but Earthquake Glue, Isolation Drills, and Half-Smiles of the Decomposed are really impressing me recently. But they're different, for sure.

Still, I would say that Bee Thousand is a contender for my favorite album of all time. It's absolutely in the top ten. Every song on it, to me, is fantastic in its own way. It's this beautiful collage that feels like it happened by accident, and honestly, it probably did.

Also, on a tangent, Honey Locust Honky Tonk is loving great. Where else should I look in Bob's solo career for the good stuff? He's spottier than the band, from the looks of it.

Honey Locust is indeed great. Apparently most of the songs on it were originally GBV songs. I think I might like it even more then English Little League, which is also fantastic. Airs is my song of the year so far, I think.

I disagree that recent stuff is more spotty, everyone says that and I just don't see it. That being said, From a Compound Eye, Elephant Jokes, and Lord of The Birdcage are some of my favorite solo albums.

# ¿ Aug 9, 2013 03:19

Glug_Glug: Feb 17, 2011

New GBV next February(And more)!

Stereogum posted:

Robert Pollard completists, prepare to update your spreadsheets and add a new display case to your �Uncle Bob� room. In keeping with his prolific rep, the Guided By Voices frontman will (flying) kick out six new releases under his various guises between now and February, culminating in a new GBV album early next year.

Deep breath� OK! First comes a 7-inch under Pollard�s own name called �Tonight�s The Rodeo� on 10/15 via GBV Inc. Then, on 10/29, Happy Jack Rock Records will release a pair of full-lengths from Circus Devils, Pollard�s experimental project with brothers Todd and Tim Tobias; those are called When Machines Attack and My Mind Has Seen The White Trick, and both will be available on vinyl and CD. Another Pollard 7-inch called �Return Of The Drums� arrives 11/26 on GBV Inc., followed by a Pollard CD/LP called Blazing Gentlemen coming 12/10 through Fire Records and GBV Inc. Then, in late February, the next Guided By Voices CD/LP Motivational Jumpsuit arrives via Fire and GBV Inc

New solo song and Circus Devil song at the link. Also, Cover Art for everything! The Blazing Gentlemen Cover is just amazing, and so is the song. It kinda sounds it would come from Mouseman Cloud at the beginning and then suddenly goes in another direction for the chorus.

# ¿ Sep 20, 2013 22:19

Glug_Glug: Feb 17, 2011

5 singles are now up on Rockathon Records for the new GBV record, Motivational Jumpsuit.

Ordered mine, super excited.

# ¿ Jan 8, 2014 01:35

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# ¿ Apr 19, 2024 22:44

Glug_Glug: Feb 17, 2011

PopZeus posted:

Are the B-sides from the album or are they unique to the single?

Planet Score and The Littlest League Possible are double A-Sides. The other 3 have B-Sides, for a total of 5 B-Sides. One of them is A Sunflower Logic outtake. Second Chance is a Tobin Sprout B-Side.

Oh yeah, they are in the studio right now to record Cool Planet, their Sixth reunion record, due for a mid-May release. Kevin March returns as the drummer for GBV for the first time since Half Smiles.

# ¿ Jan 9, 2014 02:23

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