Lately we’ve been highlighting Thee Oh Sees for their assiduous work ethic and a resulting output that’s so consistent you could time trains to it. It seems like every time John Dwyer sneezes, an album comes out (to say nothing of the quality of the records — we’re big fans here). The original king of pop prolificacy, however, is Guided By Voices’ Robert Pollard, and true to form, Bob’s announced another solo album, out June 7 from his own GBV label. There’s still time for Dwyer to learn from the master, after all.
For those expecting more of the same, Lord of the Birdcage isn’t really your standard Pollard record, or an extension of Space City Kicks, Pollard’s latest from this past January. The dozen tracks were first written as poems, and then converted into ballads and waltzes. If that seems a little too Lord Byron to you, don’t worry; Bob’s still playing “Tractor Rape Chain” with Guided By Voices at festivals throughout the summer. And hey, if you don’t like it, there’s plenty of other albums to fall back on.
Lord of the Birdcage tracklisting:
01. Smashed Middle Finger
02. Aspersion
03. Dunce Codex
04. Garden Smarm
05. You Can’t Challenge Forward Progress
06. In A Circle
07. You Sold Me Quickly
08. The Focus (Burning)
09. Ribbon Of Fat
10. Silence Before Violence
11. Holy Fire
12. Ash Ript Telecopter
• Robert Pollard: http://robertpollard.net
• Guided By Voices: http://www.gbv.com
