[rating=3.50]
After calling it a day with Guided By Voices, then releasing a ton of material, then reforming Guided By Voices, Robert Pollard still has time to keep releasing material. As meticulous as some artists are in tossing their songs out into the general public, Pollard’s workmanlike approach has meant some misses but more often than not delectable, infectious hits.
So it is with this new solo album, Space City Kicks, that contains the signature Brit-inspired vocal delivery, odd but effective hooks and a bevy of big, bombastic guitars. The opener “Mr. Fantastic Must Die!” has its moments but it’s the ensuing title track with its strutting, beefy riff that seals the deal. Ditto for “Woman To Fly” which comes near the homestretch.
Throughout the record, there are no real spine-tingling moments that rival the best of GBV, but Pollard does his best on the mid-tempo, spacey “Blowing Like A Sunspot” that is little more than a minute and the poppy, Petty-meets-Byrds vibe seeping from “I Wanna Be Your Man In The Moon.”
There is often very little middle ground with Pollard as the Kinks-y “One More Touch” works on several levels, something “Picture A Star” nor the lighter “Into It” do not from the get go. If there is a shining moment it has to be “Follow A Loser,” a punchy, near-perfect but pretty short spurt of rock. And while some of the material is not the best by any stretch, when Pollard gets going as he does on, er, “Get Going,” it’s divine.
