DVD Talk (Free subscription) | 11/28/2009
Highly Recommended The Product: Until someone comes along and decides to do the definitive ala Anvil documentary on Guided by Voices and their cockrock inspired founder, Robert "Bob" Pollard, we will have to be happy with occasional video flights of fancy from the former grade school teacher turned pop song genius himself. Mr. "Tractor Rape Chain" has always been an accomplished...
The Daily Swarm (Free subscription) | 11/18/2009
#90 What’s the sound of isolation? In Pollard’s world, it’s sunny and melodic Isolation Drills Guided by Voices fans who embraced them as the saviors of lo-fi pop after discovering such four-track-in-a-basement masterpieces as Bee Thousand and Alien Lanes had better learn to live with the fact those days are gone for good—the high-gloss production of 1999’s Do the Collapse...
BUZZGRINDER (Free subscription) | 11/18/2009
I’m really torn on this. I mean, the wannabe Guided By Voices archivist in me feels a predilection to give this something in the range of a 7.819 to 8.461. Much like the previous Suitcase entries, you get 100 unreleased songs that give you plenty of insight into Robert Pollard’s creative process. And it gives [...]
Bearded Magazine (Free subscription) | 11/10/2009
Cymbals Eat Guitars create what was once called ‘college rock’. Taking nods from Mountain Goats and Destroyer one moment, and Robert Pollard and Clap Your Hands Say Yeah the next, Why There Are Mountains is a welcome departure from much of the music piped our way in 2009.
The Dumbing of America (Free subscription) | 11/09/2009
We remember an interview we did with Art Brut, in which they attempted to entertain us with their wisdom and faux pharmacological humor. Frankly, we thought it came off a bit forced and that they took themselves a bit too seriously. Enter Britain’s Johnny Foreigner and their attempt to charm us with music [...]
Largehearted Boy (Free subscription) | 11/02/2009
Reissues are the stars release list this week, with remastered editions of Nirvana's Bleach, two Devo albums (Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo! and Freedom of Choice), and the Rolling Stones' Get Yer Ya-Ya's Out! The...
captains dead (Free subscription) | 10/29/2009
so, pollard is releasing another suitcase with this one being number 3. from the looks/sounds/etc of it, this one, a 4 disc set, should definitely be the best of the bunch cause most of the material is being pulled from the mid-90’s to the present. the 4th disc is an impromptu acoustic set featuring pollard, [...]
captains dead (Free subscription) | 10/21/2009
my portuguese is for shit, and online translators dont really cut it, but you swing on over to brazilian music outlet, transfusao noise records you can grab a 31 track tribute compilation made up of what i am guessing are brazilian artists. btw, anyone hear the new boston spaceships record? weedking by monodecks man called aerodynamics by [...]
PopMatters Music (Free subscription) | 10/21/2009
Robert Pollard's latest recording outlet releases its finest effort yet. Whether recording with Guided by Voices, under his own name, or with his new band Boston Spaceships, the prolific Robert Pollard's basic aesthetic remains relatively unchanged. His fanbase is no doubt geared to his insane release schedule, poring over every slightly varying gradient of his sprawling psychedelic garage rock for...
The Dumbing of America (Free subscription) | 10/12/2009
Each morning, after kicking the coffee maker at the TDOA offices, we give thanks for our lot in the world. This past year has allowed us an opportunity to interview every band that we’ve pondered putting on our “top 10 albums of 09″ list. Some take longer than others, but they’ve all been [...]
I Rock Cleveland (Free subscription) | 10/08/2009
The fact that Boston Spaceships is the home of Robert Pollard's finest post-GBV work is something I've been trumpeting since the release of Brown Submarine in 2008. Now with Zero to 99, the third disc recorded by Uncle Bob, John Moen, and Chris Slusarenko under the Boston Spaceships banner, others are starting to take note. From Magnet Magazine came this bit , "When we got an advance copy this...
BUZZGRINDER (Free subscription) | 10/06/2009
Welcome to fall, where album releases spike in hopes of drumming up a buzz before the holiday season. There are almost too many albums here to mention the highlights. You might start with Robert Pollard’s new Boston Spaceships album (is that his fifth release this year?), Built to Spill, actor Ryan Gosling’s surprisingly decent gothic [...]
Things I'd Rather Be Doing (Free subscription) | 09/28/2009
It seemed for several years as if Richard Davies was going to be another casualty of the music business: A wildly talented performer with a rabid cult of fans but little commercial success, forced to take a day job to make ends meet. No one can fault a guy for wanting to be able to make a living, but the loss to the creative world is a blow. He left behind as strong a back catalog as any artist recording...
The Panic Manual (Free subscription) | 09/27/2009
Although the official release date for this is October 19, I can’t resist the urge to review Logos right now. I’m late for the gatecrashing, but who cares. Logos is one of the best releases of 2009 and that’s all you need to know. It’s hard for me to decide whether this release is better than [...] Related posts: Review: Atlas Sound – Let the Blind Lead Those Who Can See...
Mars Needs Guitars (Free subscription) | 09/18/2009
Shit, when it comes to really writing about Robert Pollard, I won't bullshit you - I wouldn't/don't know where to start or even end. Pollard is literally a music making machine, producing/releasing albums at more than a startling pace. He has been responsible for some of the best indie rock of the past three decades, namely through Guided By Voices (which disbanded in 2004) and his other numerous projects...
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