Robert Pollard: Kid Marine

Robert Pollard: Kid Marine

1999

Fading Captain Series/Luna records

Format I Own it on: Compact Disc

Track Listing: 1. Submarine Teams  2. Flings of the Waistcoat Crowd  3. The Big Make-Over  4. Men Who Create Fright  5. Television Prison  6. Strictly Comedy  7. Far-Out Crops  8. Living Upside Down  9. Snatch Candy  10. White Gloves Come Off  11. Enjoy Jerusalem!  12. You Can't Hold Your Women  13. Town of Mirrors  14. Powerblessings  15. Island Crimes


Now we're getting into some really interesting stuff. This was the release that kicked off the sprawling Fading Captain Series that saw Bob releasing any damn thing he wanted over a 44-album sprawl (ending with 2007's compilation "Crickets.") See? This is what I like. Ambition! I can't even begin to calculate the toll the Fading Captain Series took on my wallet (colloquially known as "Ol' Empty"). 

I remember ordering this when it came out on the Rockathon website in the late 90's, anxiously checking the mail for my new fix. It eventually came and I remember driving around, delivering pizzas and rocking out to it. However, it seemed somehow underwhelming and disjointed. Knotty and missing the candied melodies of the GBV hits I loved and cherished. Hell, most of these songs didn't even bother with choruses! 

I did have to admit, it sounded nice when it was playing though and it rocked sufficiently but that incessant jabbering loop that kicks off the album always gave me an uneasy feeling.  There's an abundance of weirdness here. The cracked falsetto on "Far Our Crops." The stream of conscience  melodies that drifted all over the places. Ugly-as-fuck rockers like "Television Prison." There's also a definite nautical theme, featuring submarines, mussels, islands, brine, swordfish etc that made the album a soggy and salty experience.

But over the next couple of weeks it started to slowly grow on me and eventually became another favorite. There's just something so great about "Kid Marine." For starters, I'd say it hangs together as an album better than any other Pollard album I can think of. He's always had a knack for sequencing, but this is a real standout in that department. I can't imagine these songs in any other order. Plus the concept is so promising. You see that squadron of beer-gutted, middle-aged dudes hanging out, dragging cigarettes in front of a chain link fence? Well, this album is about one of those guys! The smell of watered-down domestic beer positively wafts out of the album artwork... 

Cut-off sleeves! Unironic mullets! Sharks! This stuff is my bread and butter!

Oh, and a couple of my favorite Pollard tracks are on here: "Powerblessings" was a song that went in one ear and out the other for awhile, but then suddenly it clicked with me in a major, major way. It's all in that free-flowing melody, that wanders from sweet spot to sweet spot with no concern for your ability to follow or make sense of it. But listen to it enough and eventually you can figure out where it's going and suddenly see what a lustrous little ornament it is. The lyrics are really beautiful and at the end when Pollard sings, "Powerblessings to you and all of you..." it has real power and warmth. Like some slightly-askew Christmas carol from an alternate universe. Don't overlook this one. "Town of Mirrors" is another favorite of mine. Again, it's oddly touching considering I have no effing idea what is actually being said (although he gives us a clue on the live version of the song that appears on "LIve at the Wheelchair Races" that it's a tribute to his children which, to me, makes the song especially interesting  considering the ambivalence conveyed in the words). 

To me, this is probably the quintessential example of non-pop Robert Pollard. It's sometimes easy to reduce him to a writer of immediate and poppy rock songs cos he's so damn good at it, but part of what makes those pop songs so appealing is the weirdness and the sense of melancholy that is lurking behind the pleasing melodies. By subtracting the obvious pop trappings we get a more-rounded look at Pollard's work. It's really singular stuff and a unique voice in rock music. And this captures a moment on his monumental roll where he's confident to wallow in some  arty, chorus-less, rock that only invites us to sing along after a handful of deep-ass listens and multiple trawls through the lyric sheet. I sorta think it's a key album and  if you can listen to and enjoy "Kid Marine", the slick pop of "Do the Collapse" and the caustic noise of Nightwalker (both of which were right around the corner), you can take any Pollard album. It's the ice-water plunge for sure but you'll have an easy trip through the vast Pollard discography at that point... 

Let's blast some "Kid Marine." Here's "Powerblessings." Enjoy...

Oh yea. I almost forgot the rankings! I've gone back and forth over where this one goes, to the point where I almost had to question the rankings altogether. For a few seconds I placed it above "Same Place" but ultimately decided that "Same Place" while not as consistent as "Kid Marine," has more ceiling-scraping highlights. For some unknown reason, I've found "Same Place" to be my baseline comparison for every other Pollard album. The yardstick by which other albums are measured. My eye immediately goes there and I have to weigh whether or not it tops "Same Place." I think it's because "Same Place the Fly Got Smashed" has such clearly defined flaws and virtues. huh...

1. Guided by Voices: Alien Lanes

2. Guided by Voices: Bee Thousand

3.Guided by Voices: Under the Bushes, Under the Stars

4. Guided by Voices: Propeller

5. Robert Pollard: Waved Out

6. Tobin Sprout: Carnival Boy

7. Guided by Voices: Same Place the Fly Got Smashed

8. Robert Pollard: Kid Marine

9. Guided by Voices: Tonics and Twisted Chasers

10. Guided by Voices: Sunfish Holy Breakfast

11. Robert Pollard: Not In My Airforce

12. Mag Earwhig!

13.  Guided by Voices: King Shit and the Golden Boys

14. Guided by Voices: Self-Inflicted Aerial Nostalgia

15. Guided by Voices: Vampire on Titus

16. Guided by Voices: Sandbox

17. Guided by Voices: Forever Since Breakfast

18. Guided by Voices: Devil Between My Toes 

Robert Pollard: Waved Out

Robert Pollard: Waved Out

1998

Matador Records

Format I Own it on: Kompact Dusk

Truck Lusting: 1. Make Use  2. Vibrations in the Woods  3. Just Say the Word  4. Subspace Biographies  5. Caught Waves Again 6. Waved Out  7. Whiskey Ships  8. Wrinkled Ghost  9. Artificial Light  10. People Are Leaving  11. Steeple of Knives  12. Rumbling Joker 13. Showbiz Opera Walrus  14. Pick Seeds from My Skull  15. Second Step Next Language


I consider this to be one of the top-tier solo Pollard albums. Which is odd, because it took a looong while for this one to grow on me. It's initially much less appealing than "Not in My Airforce." Darker, murkier, less front-loaded. The only thing that really caught my ear the first couple of listens was the bombastic opener, "Make Use" and the universe-ruling "Subspace Biographies" which isn't only one of Pollard's all-time best songs, but one of the best damn songs ever recorded by anybody. With a spare, chugging verse slowly ramping up to one of the most unexpectedly great choruses I've ever heard:

 "I am quail and quasarI picked you up on radarI do my job each day Empties crushed and filed away..."

It reads as raw nonsense, but trust me, you'll be singing along in no time. Pollard's harmonies just make the shit hit. 

It took a few listens to realize another one of my favorite Pollard songs was lurking in the album's grooves: "People Are Leaving" sounds like a huge mess on first listen. It's Bob singing over a song that already has vocals. So its difficult to discern exactly what's happening but once your ears adjust, the saddest, most delicate little song slowly emerges, raising a glass to friends lost. Again, Magic Eyes for the ears. The whole album has this really dark, mournful vibe about it. "Rumbling Joker" wallows in its bleary-eyed inebriated state: 

"May we always cry
May we drink them dry
May we wake up small and pale..."

Sung not as an exultant declaration, but as a grim statement of purpose...Another moment that always strikes me is when the seemingly dissolute acoustic shamble "Pick Seeds From My Skull" suddenly crystallizes into a moment of startling beauty as Bob sings, "I am alooooone foreverrrrrr...."  When I listen to it by myself (and in the right state of mind), this very slight shift has the ability to raise the hair on my woolen Chewbacca arms...

There are moments of lightness, though. The good-natured pop of "Wrinkled Ghost" is so thoroughly GBV-ish that I can't help but smile the whole time it's playing. "Whiskey Ships" is good rocking fun. Still, this is a Bob album to be listened to alone late at night, head spinning from cheap booze. 

Weak Spots:  Any lesser tracks are kept to brief snippet length and add to the album's air of dark mystery. Major exception being the endless "Showbiz Opera Walrus," which during the first 30 seconds or so is a humorous Magical Mystery Tour"-esque psychedelic/waltz piffle, but it slowly dawns on you that this thing is about 2 minutes too long. 

Yea, I highly recommend this, just don't expect to be blown away immediately. Some of Pollard's best albums are slow-growers. Some patience required...

Let's listen to some music. Here's "Subspace Biographies." If you've somehow never heard it, by God! Crank this shit up!

Here's the revised ranking: This goes pretty high on the list. One of my favorite Pollard releases. It has a deep melancholy vibe that finds Pollard at his most appealingly bizarre, yet still incredibly relatable. 

1. Guided by Voices: Alien Lanes

2. Guided by Voices: Bee Thousand

3.Guided by Voices: Under the Bushes, Under the Stars

4. Guided by Voices: Propeller

5. Robert Pollard: Waved Out

6. Tobin Sprout: Carnival Boy

7. Guided by Voices: Same Place the Fly Got Smashed

8. Guided by Voices: Tonics and Twisted Chasers

9. Guided by Voices: Sunfish Holy Breakfast

10. Robert Pollard: Not In My Airforce

11. Mag Earwhig!

12.  Guided by Voices: King Shit and the Golden Boys

13. Guided by Voices: Self-Inflicted Aerial Nostalgia

14. Guided by Voices: Vampire on Titus

15. Guided by Voices: Sandbox

16. Guided by Voices: Forever Since Breakfast

17. Guided by Voices: Devil Between My Toes

Guided by Voices: Mag Earwhig!

Guided by Voices: Mag Earwhig!

1997

Matador Records

Format I Own it on: Compact Disc

Track Listing: 1.Can't Hear the Revolution  2. Sad If I Lost It  3. I Am a Tree  4. The Old Grunt  5. Bulldog Skin  6. Are You Faster?  7. I Am Produced  8. Knock 'Em Flyin'  9. Not Behind the Fighter Jet   10. Choking Tara  11. Hollow Cheek  12. Portable Men's Society  13. Little Lines  14. Learning to Hunt  15. The Finest Joke Is Upon Us  16. Mag Earwhig!  17. Now to War  18. Jane of the Waking Universe  19. The Colossus Crawls West  20. Mute Superstar  21. Bomb in the Bee-Hive


The first post-classic line-up album. Pollard uses Cleveland-based band Cobra Verde as his new backing band, although the old band is still lurking in the album's fringes. Tobin Sprout made it pretty far into the sessions, taking some of the songs he wrote for the album over to his "Moonflower Plastic" album.  This also happens to be the first GBV album I'd ever heard. Y'see, I was watching MTV one day and happened to catch the video for "Bulldog Skin." It's no surprise I immediately liked "Bulldog Skin," because underneath my slick, Bipedal, city-dwelling exterior beats the deep-fried heart of a backwoods hick, steeped in Molly Hatchet 8-tracks, Hee-Haw re-runs and FM radio. So the twangy, hick-ish southern-rocking "Bulldog Skin" was right up my alley. 

Looking back on my initial impressions of the album always amuses me. I can kinda feel for the people who can't quite wrap their heads around Pollard's prodigious output.I remember being head over heels knocked out by half of it ("Bulldog Skin," "Jane of the Waking Universe,""I Am a Tree") and found the other half completely inscrutable. I can recall listening to "The Old Grunt," "Hollow Cheek," "The Colossus Crawls West," the title track, etc and thinking they were sort of a bizarre, tuneless spoken word. It sounded like an old man rambling over random nonsense. And I could almost smell cigarette smoke when I listened to these songs...I had no idea that someday Pollard would constitute roughly 70% of my listening habits...

Listening to it now, I think it's a slight step back from "Under the Bushes, Under the Stars" but still solid and enjoyable. This marks the point where GBV's sound shifts from whimsical, slightly-psychedelic indie rock to a crunchier hard rock. Less Beatles, more Who. Like all the cheap beer was finally kicking in. And boy, did Pollard hit the jackpot with new guitarist Doug Gillard, who was the only member from the Cobra Verde lineup to last (he's still in the band, I think). He's very melodic and rocking and adept at reeling off succinct, memorable little guitar solos. The nimble riffs in "I Am a Tree" and the solo on "Bulldog Skin" are on a whole nother level when contrasted with previous GBV albums. 

Favorites: "I Am a Tree" rocks harder and more skillfully than ever before. "Jane of the Waking Universe" feels like the classic lineup going supernova in one final, cataclysmic blast of warm poppiness. I'm also adding "Now to War" to my official pile of "Greatest GBV songs." Bob hadn't done anything like this in a long while. It's a lonely, acoustic meditation on drinking and isolation that brings back the sorrowful solitude that made me fall in love with the "Box" era stuff in the first place. A damn masterpiece, in my opinion. I also have to point out "The Finest Joke Is Upon Us" which is a song that took 20 years for its greatness to sink in! Seriously! I first heard this song back in '97 and was always kinda, "eh" about it until last year I was listening to the single version on the "Hardcore UFO's" boxset when the song suddenly morphed before my ears into the biggest pile of beautiful hooks I'd ever heard! Pollard's stuff can sometimes take a while to sink in but this is ridiculous... "Choking Tara" is a beauty too, although I prefer the full-band "creamy" version released elsewhere...

Weak spots: Surprisingly few. It's relative drumlessness works against it somewhat. I think having the "creamy" version of "Choking Tara" might have helped. I've also always felt like the album doesn't really kick in until "I Am a Tree," with the first two songs having an introductory build up feel.

Overall, this album is almost like a big, flat, even plane. Not much stands out but there are no low points either. I think it's why I often overlook it. I don't pull it off the shelf much, but when I do I always think to myself, "Oh, yea. Why don't I listen to this one more?"  It feels very transitional. It has a little bit of the warm, comforting glow of the classic line-up and a bit of the bombastic sheen of the Gillard era. You can feel Pollard wanting to go bigger but not quite committing to it 100% yet, which gives the album an interesting and distinctive feel. This marked the end of the Cobra Verde line-up. Everyone except for Gillard gets replaced for the next album, which is a whole nother ball o' wax...

Alright. Let's listen to some music. Here's "Now to War" by Guided by Voices. Enjoy...

Here's the revised rankings. I'm putting "Mag Earwhig!" slightly below "Not in My Airforce" and slightly above "King Shit."  It doesn't have the effortlessness that "Not in My Airforce" exudes but it's more consistent than "King Shit" (which is fairly ass-kicking collection of outtakes). 

1. Guided by Voices: Alien Lanes

2. Guided by Voices: Bee Thousand

3.Guided by Voices: Under the Bushes, Under the Stars

4. Guided by Voices: Propeller

5. Tobin Sprout: Carnival Boy

6. Guided by Voices: Same Place the Fly Got Smashed

7. Guided by Voices: Tonics and Twisted Chasers

8. Guided by Voices: Sunfish Holy Breakfast

9. Robert Pollard: Not In My Airforce

10. Mag Earwhig!

11.  Guided by Voices: King Shit and the Golden Boys

12. Guided by Voices: Self-Inflicted Aerial Nostalgia

13. Guided by Voices: Vampire on Titus

14. Guided by Voices: Sandbox

15. Guided by Voices: Forever Since Breakfast

16. Guided by Voices: Devil Between My Toes