Robert Pollard - From a Compound Eye - Merge
Robert Pollard’s first post-GBV release is a fantastic amalgamation of what the Man from Dayton refers to as “the 4 P’s: Prog, Pop, Psych, and Punk”. While retaining the excellent pop melodies and riffs of his GBV-era work, the new album has a markedly different feel from previous releases. There is a feeling of freshness and newness to the entire album that suggests Bob has eagerly embraced the opportunities now available as a solo artist. Early Guided By Voices consisted of distorted masterpieces and drunken 4-track experiments recorded in basements, and later albums added more and more studio production. From a Compound Eye completes this transition to full studio production.
Pollard fully develops the melodies that, on previous releases, he would normally limit to a minute and a half of fuzzy audio. I have always liked these tracks on GBV albums, though their quality is admittedly mixed and can be off-putting to non-fans. On FACE, they are expanded to their full potential and sound excellent. “Dancing Girls and Dancing Men” (#3) is just under 3 minutes of infectious pop and “I’m A Widow” (#8) is straight up rock with a driving riff. There is a nod to previous lo-fi work on “The Right Thing” (#5) in which the song builds smoothly from a hissing 4-track to full blown high fidelity production – a nice piece of studio innovation.
The vinyl version of this album consists of two LPs and the division between them is clear on the CD – the first half consists of tracks which immediately grab the listener and the second half features slower, more experimental tracks. I have yet to fully grasp the latter part, though I enjoy it more with every listen.
James Greer, a former bassist for GBV, recounts an illuminating story involving Pollard in his new book about the band*. While on tour, another member of the band was awakened by the sound of Bob singing in the bathroom into a tape recorder at 4 in the morning. Bob explained that he had dreamed a melody and wanted to record it before he forgot it, and added “That’s why they slap that ‘genius’ tag on me son.” He spoke the truth. This is an hour and ten minutes spent in the head of Dayton’s Pop Zeus. As he sings midway through the album – “Chemical Mozart is at it again”.
-Jim Kaminski
