Hallways of Shatterproof Glass
Robert Pollard has been cranking out rock/pop gems for a long time now and he just doesn't seem capable of slowing down. As the principle member of Guided by Voices, Pollard wrote and recorded so many catchy 2-minute songs that standard LPs just weren't enough for him. A lot of his best tracks instead found their way onto EP's or big box sets that contained unreleased demos and outtakes. In addition to GBV's staggering output (check allmusic if you don't believe me because "prolific" is an understatement here), Pollard has been recording and releasing albums under either his own name or under a variety of one-time side projects. Since the official disbanding of guided By Voices in 2004, Uncle Bob Pollard has released two legitimate solo albums. From a Compound Eye came out January of this year and featured a double-album's worth of Pollard's musical experiments. This week marks the release of his second solo album since the end of GBV and Normal Happiness delivers the short, catchy rock n' roll songs that Guided By Voices fans have come to know and love. "Supernatural Car Lover" is one of my favorite tracks because it features the kind of catchy, bouncy guitar that just feels good. You can listen to the track here.
In other Pollard related news, indie rockers ...And You Will Know Us by the Trail Of Dead have chosen to cover the Guided By Voices track "The Goldheart Mountaintop Queen Directory" for their upcoming LP So Divided. if you're a GBV fan like me then this is exciting news because not only is this particular track from the miraculous Bee Thousand but it's an absolute lo-fi classic!
Guided By Voices - The Goldheart Mountaintop Queen Directory
The eerie vocals, the white noise, the bombastic harmonizing and that strange whistle form a track that can only be described as distorted prog-rock. The Trail Of Dead version is cleaned up but captures the spirit of the original well and even features a dramatic reverberating final organ chord that would do Uncle Bob proud. So Divided drops on November 14.
Recidivism.org has a stream of the Trail Of Dead version:
...And You Will Know Us by the Trail Of Dead - The Gold Heart Mountain Top Queen Directory (scroll down)