Posted on September 28, 2009 - by Mark Zonda

Which Elvis Costello Album Would You Pick After Having Read This Review?

We already talked about Boston Spaceships on THIS post. But how can a single review can be enough when its incarnation, the ex leader of Guided by Voices not only continues to bake flaming masterpieces one year at the time, so hungry indeed for new songs that only in 2009 – 52 years old – has recorded “The Planets Are Blasted” and “Zero to 99″ with Boston Spaceships, “Gringo” with Circus Devils and the solo “The Crawling Distance”… but felt the urge to put other  TWENTY TWO FUCKING SONGS on yet another album. It makes FIVE ALBUM in a year. 09 mus be a lucky number to Mr. Robert Pollard, cause each of its new works it’s a pure joy. At least if you like The Band, R.E.M. and Pixies, you’re not discouraged by lunatic and paranoid lyrics and your heart is still open to innocence and a good dose of immagination.

Bop Pollard last work is called “Elephant jokes”, but there’s nothing to laugh about. There’s a certain weight overt the way Robert’s looking at his transfigured world, and an elephant crawling on your back would give you nothing to laugh about!

“Things have changed (down in Mexico City)” opens the album, ant it’s just THE BEST OPENING SONG I would ever expet from any band possibly opening a show, so full of pathos, energy, distorted guitars, a superblasting singalone choir… “Things have chanced” could seriously blow out a stadium (”CRY FOR THE INNOCENCE OF LOOOVEEEE!!!”). And it could really been anyone, and THAT’S the power of this fucking song!  XX Teens, The Devilrock Four, The Sweet Serenades, all toghether in the biggest arena in Mexico City!

“Johnny Optimist” could be The Who points of view on nowaday’s indie music, and it quickly takes distances from the Pixy sound of the blasting intro, showing how Bob would be able to master charts as well. The distorted rock of “When a man walks away” it’s pure R.E.M. from Monster, with the exception that no song in Monster has got the energy of this Elephant. “Parts of your world” deeps the spoon on the cup of classic rocky roads, and would be able to tease any Led Zeppelin fan.

Episodes like “Tattered lily” are easily forgettable and “Epic heads” is so stupid that could have been easily co-written by a “blown out McCartney”, making us wonder if 22 songs wasn’t really supererogatory.  Still the Nancy Wilsonesque cleaver guitars on “Desiring” put us back on the tracks of “Almost Famous” days, and are able to give balance balance to this epic juggernut.

Being said that “All you need (to Know)” is possibly the best song of the year, the album closes with “Architectural nightmare man”, almost the most lo-fi still creative and evocative song of the album, a good sum of the whole sides of the album.

Bob Pollard. Don’t go easy on this old guy. He is smashing Michael Stipe’s forgotten dream aside showing us how a good song it’s meant to be, making its way on top of its Elephant, ruling them all just like “Armed Forces” cover. Ride on silver Bob!

Robert Pollard – “Newly selected dirt spots”

Let it ring on...

• New Songs From Uncle Bob (0)