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