Bee Thousand: Director's Cut (2004)

Bee Thousand: Director's Cut

(2004, Scat Records)

 

In 2004, Scat Records released a 3 LP set of Guided by Voices '94 seminal classic Bee Thousand.  The reissue included the all original tracks, but with a reconstructed order.  In addition, this 3 LP set includes tracks from the Grand Hour EP, I Am A Scientist EP, and cuts from the King Shit And The Golden Boys compilation recorded during the Bee Thousand sessions.  The LP tracks are also arranged and labeled on Discs 1 and 2 as Instructions To The Rusty Time Machine, one of several titles and song arrangements considered for Bee Thousand. 

The 3 LP reissue also included 8 exclusive and unreleased tracks; the reviews are listed below. Additionally, there are slightly different versions of songs like "Tractor Rape Chain" and "Ester's Day" as well. Those said tracks only differ in the fact that intros have been added or clipped from the original tapes.  Those reviews for those are listed below as they are, at the core, the same songs that appear on Bee Thousand. 

It's Like Soul Man [4-track Version]- 5 Lo-fi, blown out as shit, early version of a Tobin Sprout track that originally received an official release on '96s Under the Bushes Under the Stars LP.  Carried by its incredibly melodic bass line, and Tobin's infectious hook, this would've been nice to have been seen on a wider spread release. In hindsight,  it would've undoubtedly found a suitable niche in the final cut of Bee Thousand.

Crayola- 4 This track would have fit snugly onto an GBV EP of the times, but remained in the vault. Pollard sings in a bouncy nursery rhyme type of flow.  Fuzz guitar and bass exist as the rough skeletal track, and Pollard backs up his own vocals. Rad as shit Alien Lanes type snippet track. 

 

Zoning The Planet- 2 Drum tom rolls and rickety, razor thin guitar shrapnel. Sounds improvised, and not hard to see why it's remained hidden for so long. Early EP scrapheap stuff. No hook, and very little charm.

Way To A Man's Heart- 1 Some chatter ensues and then a violin comes screeching in. Pollard yells "check." Starts plucking something similar to "Don't Stop Now" on acoustic. Violin sounds like it's dying a slow death over it. No vocals. Some background laughing. What the fuck ever.

Twig- 4 Tobin Sprout acoustic track. Like most Tobin songs of the time, this has a great melody and has killer harmonies. Fantastic explosive outro.  Where and WHY was this song hiding for 10 years?

Shocker In Gloomtown [Demo]- 4 Very, very raw, slower version of the classic GBV song. Drums are off-time, giving the intro a completely different feel. Beneath this muck of hiss, you can hear the greatness and potency of the song, but thankfully GBV released an even better version 11 years prior on The Grand Hour EP.

Break Even [Demo]- 2  Another demo track for a song off '93s The Grand Hour EP. In anarchic basement dirt-noise spirit, this fuzzed gurgled demo is worth a trip into history.... but just for a solitary listen.

My Valueable Hunting Knife [Shernoff Version]- 5 Engineered by The Dictators'  Andy Shernoff, this version of "My Valuable Hunting Knife" remained unreleased until this box-set. Shernoff had also recorded the 7'' version of "I Am A Scientist" on the EP of same name. As for this? What a welcome hidden gem!  A different take on the classic off Alien Lanes and the other re-recorded version off the Tigerbomb EP.  A power-chord punk-pop assault on the mid-tempo hit! Raw, crunch, and propulsive with all the hooks you remember. Nothing but love for this track.

 

Speedtraps For The Bee Kingdom (2000)

Speedtraps For The Bee Kingdom

(2000, Fading Captain Series)

Released in 2000, this Pollard related one-off is an avant-noise clattering affair, with a few (tiny) glimpses of pop-ness, and a whole lot of instrument wanking around. Comprised of Robert Pollard, brother Jim Pollard (general non-musician noisemaker extraordinaire), and glorified roadie/early '00s GBV guitarist Nate Farley, Howling Wolf Orchestra represents a firm line in the sand for people still hanging onto Pollard's every word at the turn of the millennium.

The 9th release in Pollard's Fading Captain Series, fans up to this point already had the opportunity to hear such confounding releases as Nightwalker's In Shop We Build Electric Chairs... and Hazzard Hotrods Big Trouble. Nevertheless, Howling Wolf Orchestra seems to be the release which often spills from the mouths of average to semi-crazed followers as the point where the hands went up as a final admission of defeat to the massive discography.

While it does contain some real head scratchers, the mini-LP is not without its charms. Still, it should be approached with caution. For fans of Pollard's Nightwalker, Acid Ranch, Sunflower Logic, and certain Circus Devils tracks, Howling Wolf Orchestra's lone release provides 8 tracks in under 14 minutes, recorded professionally with producer/friend John Sough.     

Released on CD and LP (limited to 1000 and 500, respectively), Speedtraps For The Bee Kingdom remains a somewhat difficult release to track down.

SIDE A:

You Learn Something Old Everyday- 4  Have I lost it?  This track? A 4!?  Repetitious, half-assed drum march that sounds like sticks lazily falling on a detuned snare drum. Pollard sings a relaxed, decent vocal melody over it. All of this leads toward dissonant guitar swells, creating on slap-dashed, eerie opener. 

I.B.C.- 4  Super short, Wire-esque post-punk track. Pollard's vocals echo over hopeless, dank guitar riff and one-note bass rumble. Love it! Repeat. 

I'm Dirty- 4  The most pop-song of the record. Has a mid-90's, off-the-cuff GBV EP feel. 2000-era GBV began playing this live on occasion, as well. Repetitive, slightly melodic guitar line with repeating Pollard vocals to close it out. 

It's A Bad Ticket- 2 One minute washout with flat-out gross guitar effect and limited drum stops. Pollard sings stream of conscience beat poetry stuff.  Nothing to write home about, or really anywhere. 

SIDE B:

Satyr At Styx & Rubicon- 1 Cosmic bullshit. What a waste of everything. Pulsating sound throb with delay on vocals, and brother Jim's guitar feedback. 

Is It Mostly? (It Is Mostly)- 1 Instrumental track. Mainly a snare hit  produced to sound like shitty gunshots. Starts off with piano sounding like a second-rate The Fall song. Culminating in sounding like last-rate nonsense. 

Where Is Out There?- 3 Acoustic, melancholy guitar pop picking with some bright Pollard vocal sections. Vocals are spacey and delayed, detracting slightly and unnecessarily, but the track is overall short and sweet. 

Fruit Weapon- 1 Even the title stinks. Metal riffage comes distantly out of one speaker while doomy mood bass and infantile drum bullshit loops out of the other.  All instrumental, for what it's worth. No thanks. 

The Great Houdini Wasn't So Great (2007)

The Great Houdini Wasn't So Great

(2007, Record Company Records)

In 2007, Pollard released the third and (presumably) last Acid Ranch LP. Like the two before, The Great Houdini... was limited to 500 copies, and sold out in a flash. Despite such rabid sales, this for FANS ONLY release doesn't come without its head-scratching moments, and piercingly dull jaunts of stamina.   Following the same format as the previous two, this LP consists of largely improved, basement tracks recorded with Robert and Jim Pollard, and future GBV guitarist Mitch Mitchell to boom-box. Unlike the previous two, The Great Houdini... proves rarely intriguing, but rather practically unlistenable... and that's saying something. After 56 previously unearthed Acid Ranch tracks, The Great Houdini... presents the listener with the bottom of the barrel, clanging scraped from the bottom of the dusty suitcase tapes and delivered to your ears (if you were lucky enough to procure an affordable copy). Another vast collection of surrealist beat poetry and haphazard, skeletal guitar banging. The third time comes up short on charm.  

SIDE A:

Gosimer- 1 Oh great! They unearthed more Acid Ranch material! One minute UFO noises. Some drums. Let's go!

Wayne Saw It- 2 Who is Wayne and what did this man see? Complete lackluster electric guitar plucks with hushed, Pollard vocals. Second half of the song, constructed by surreal lyrics slightly makes up for completely boring recorded idea. 

Writhe- 1 One minute long, stupid guitar scale played through some pedal, while second guitar plays a chord. No one should hear this ever, please. 

Lie To The Rainbow- 3 Acoustic guitar lead track. One minute plus. Maybe 7 to 10 actual lyrics sung in between the mumbling and hollering, but promising melodic line. 

Pure Hot Tar- 2 Electric guitar and Pollard vocals. Sounds as if he's reading off a local ad for a drive-way resurfacing company in this bluesy, sad-rock tune. 

I Wanna Go- 1 Tremolo nausea guitar strobes in and out and Mitch Mitchell takes lead vocals who recalls the sounds of one wounded in the crotch region. 

The Kind Of Thing I Like To Talk About- 1 Boring electric, wobbly guitar backed with Pollard speak-sing thing. Two minutes, but who could possibly care? 

You're Talkin' Brotherly Love And You Set My Hand On Fire- 2 Clopping, marching, lo-fi, with lap-clapping percussion and Pollard vocal-thing. Kind of funny at least. A for effort on the drumming.  

Feeling Is- 1 Wind-up music box plays "It's A Small World" with distant one-note guitar plucks. 51 seconds. 

The Invincible Dart Throwing Competition- 3 Nearly 5 minutes. Pollard speaks what sounds like an old-time radio monologue. Intriguing, and surreal first half turns into a bizarre, but melodic outro.  Hang with it. 

Contemplate The Sun- 1 Some rhythmic clapping along with the percussive, ambiance of one's lips blowing into a bottle. The auteurs have spoken! Pollard says stuff. Woof!

Chemical Fun In The Sun- 2 Electric guitar line plays a few repetitive plucks. Inaudible Pollard vocals echo eerily. Moody and Jandekian, but with a touch more form.  Just a touch.  

SIDE B:

Go Away- 1 30 something seconds. Pollard repeats "baby" a bunch of times and yells "GO AWAY" over sci-fi looped guitar.  Yup, that title speaks volumes.

The Pain Stakes- 1 Tremolo pedal is on again and cranked up. For 4 minutes! The first 2 titles of Side-B say it alll. Never-ending psych-tinged drivel. 

Which Way To Run- 2 First minute is basically nothing but Uncle Bob doing his leftover poetry. Some semblance of a song kicks in after that, making it a slightly bearable sketch of a tune. 

Comp. No. X- 1 Jim Pollard perfect the "amp drop" on this one. Toy xylophone pounds away in the background. Pollard sings something through effects pedals. Grrrrrreat big 1 on this stinker. 

Lower Lords- 1 Single string plucks with subtle guitar drones at times. Some improved vocals. What is happening? 

Wee Wee Wah Wah- 1  No. 25 seconds. 

It's Weird What The People Say- 2 "Bob, would you and Living Praise Choir lead us in 'To God Be The Glory'?" Yup, the classic sample that begins "Expecting Brainchild" off GBV's Vampire On Titus, can be found introducing this track years before its GBV usage! After the intro, Bob responds with "I sure will." and sings a short bullshit thing. Historically cool though for Pollard nuts who care about such things. 

Oh, Siren- 1 One minute of herniated laughing, hooting, and hollerin'. AND shit guitar strums. 

Rogue- 1 Is that clinking bottles? Someone literally gargles water, and clangs on objects in the basement. The audio equivalent of scraping teeth. 2 minutes of this, no less. 

Not Version- 1 One minute of spacey garbled nothingness. Aptly named for every not version of everything. Therefore, it is; nothing. Whoa! Blew a mind. 

... We'l Be Serving Coffee And Doughnuts- 3 Sad, murky electric guitar riff over old man, snowed-in, desolation vocals. Cold lo-fi piece worth its mood in a spin alone. Extended whistling at the end is a minus. 

Wind & Whistles- 1 Industrial, ambient rumble and a whistle for a minute and a half.  Good night Acid Ranch. 

Acid Ranch As Forever: A Manifesto Of Fractured Imagination and Wreckless Living (2005)

Acid Ranch As Forever: A Manifesto Of Fractured Imagination And Wreckless Living

(2005, Rockathon Records)

The second Acid Ranch LPs is one of the rarest releases in the Pollard universe, one capable of delivering goosebumps to the collector nerd, and pure headaches to the ones who listen to it. To be fair, this is probably the most listenable of the three Acid Ranch records, so look on the bright side Mr. Gloom N. Doom. Much like the first LP, Acid Ranch as Forever... is another collection of improved basement tapes from Robert Pollard, brother Jim, and GBV's Mitch Mitchell from the early and mid-80s. Now, let's take a quick look at what makes this release such a damn diamond in the ruff.

Like the other LPs, this was limited to 500 (525 to be exact). However, each LP jacket is a hand screen print over used LP jackets from other bands. Yes, it's possible to own a Billy Joel edition As Forever..., or how 'bout a Gordon Lightfoot? Sure. Each cover is different! Hence, this piece of history sold out quick and remains a fairly tough find on the secondary market.

For more on this release, you can check out the incredibly comprehensive FAQ on the Guided by Voices Database.

SIDE A:

Star Sprinkled Banner- 1 Someone plays the "Star Spangled Banner" on guitar. Sounds like it's being played by a kid sight reading a guitar tab on a pawn shop guitar. Complete with some live claps! Was this recorded live? I wish I knew. Apt kick-off track to this Acid Ranch LP though, for all of its absurdity. 

UFO To Hitler- 4 Sparse chord acoustic strumming. Pollard comes up with a relaxed, surprisingly decent melody and then jumps into a stream of ranting lyrics. 

Promise Her Everything- 4 Short, upbeat, patchwork pop song. Little thought executed, but pretty awesome. Could have been on an early GBV EP and no eyelash would'be been batted. 

Supersonic Love Funky Love Gun-  The same song originally appeared on Suitcase 2 earlier in the year.  Read the review there. 

Farmer Man- 2 Tremolo, warbled guitar that has a violin-like quality. Mitch Mitchell takes lead vocals. Pollard takes back-ups. Marching vocal part is the highlight in this bellowing tune. Song continues for another minute for little reason.

I'm Not Lookin'- 5 Eric Burdon-style '60s rock song. Nuggets style-harmony. More tremolo guitar and ghastly reverbed-out vocals from Pollard and Mitch Mitchell. Great gem!

Conspiracy Of The Machine Operators- 2 One half Bob Pollard spoken-work poetry (solo), one half thrift-store quality headbanger while Pollard yells. Ultimately forgettable. 

Spacely Sprockets- 3 More wobbly electric guitar noodling. However, sounds like a future Nirvana riff played on a toy amp. Complete with hand-clap (knee-slap, perhaps?) drumming. 

Attack Of The Powerwalkers- 1  Dueling guitars play two meandering jigs as someone keeps time with drumsticks. Song contains 9 loan snare hits, and 4 whole snare rolls!  Am I loosing my mind?

SIDE B:

Polly Shooter- 2 Tiny sounding electric guitar as Mitch and Bob sing exaggerated, drunken, almost enjoyable nonsense melodies over one another. 

Beautiful Plastic- 4 Pollard plays a decent, swirling psych acoustic riff, and eases through and non-offensive vocal melody. WHOA!  An Acid Ranch breakthrough.  

Honky Song- 2 Lo-fi, weirdo, goof-ball western tune that sounds like a TV show theme from purgatory. Pollard repeatedly sings "I'm a honky," as if giddily galloping. Weird "horn" part is unfortunately catchy, but in a shitty way. Kind of funny, though. 

Psychopath Thermometer- 1 Psych reverb electric plucks are few and far between. Pollard howls things. 4 minutes long! This one's just painful. Not enjoyable in and realm of Pollard songsmanship. 

Jerry Falwell- 1 Chapter 1 in a trilogy of "Jerry" named tracks. Pollard says "... looked a Jerry Falwell..." and it ends. 5 seconds long! SECONDS! 5! FIVE! It has now taken you longer to read this review than listen the the actual song! Song? HA! What? 

Jerry- 3 Grungy, acoustic song. Pollard basically laying down a solo demo here. Nothing too special, but its brevity and cryptic lyrics raise a brow. Worth a listen. 

Jerry (Alt)- 2 Hushed, minute longer version of previous "Jerry" song. Follows same format, but with extra needless acoustic plucking, and name dropping of The Incredible Hulk.

Congratulations, You're Under Sedation- 2 Electric guitar bullshit wobbles around, and duel lazy vocals moan a melody over it. Pollard pours his heart out over being tired of a loved one not appreciating the things he does. Basically, I just paraphrased his spoken work piece. Ends with duel vocal harmony part that teeters on creepy, if not unfortunate. 

Scope- 3 Pollard with acoustics plays bouncy, yet downer, rock riff and gives a role-call of impromptu names and random lyrics about being home alone at night.

Great Snake God Of The Golden Sun- 1  Title might be both cooler (arguably) and longer than the song itself (not a fact). 25 second closer. "Ho-hum. Ho-hum" literally go the vocals. About as brilliant as looking in the mirror and moaning to yourself. 

Some Of The Magic Syrup Was Presereved (2002)

Some Of The Magic Syrup Was Preserved

(2002, Fading Captain Series)

The first of 3 LPs released under the name Acid Ranch. This double LP is a real bag of rocks to carry up a real steep hill my friends. Disregard everything you like about Guided by Voices and embrace everything you like about the cosmos of Robert Pollard. Strap on your no-fi headphones, drop some bad acid, and prep your ears with some Jandek beforehand. Like all Acid Ranch records, it's a test of faith for the super fans. Interesting at times, this sits as more of a collector's piece than anything else. A double LP debut, limited to 500 copies, complete with collage booklet. Get out your wallets and place a bid on this when you can, but perhaps be warned.

SIDE A:

The Theory Of Broken Circles- 3  Well, here we are then. Subtle guitar riff and bass back-up play along, on and on. Pollard recites, sometimes howls, some surreal beat poetry in dead-pan and full on goofball vocals. Somewhere between "Hot Freaks," King Crimson, and weather-worn film strips. 5 minutes though. Beware. Can you hang?

Underdogs- 2 Drum pounding, some duck farting noises. Pollard's lyrics are cool, but ultimately meanders into nothingness.

Doctor Moon- 3 Pollard sings like he's got a case of the hiccups over steady, matter-of-fact strumming. None to out-of-left field, sans the semi-yodeling.

Pictures From The Brianbox- 2 Trebly and clean electric guitar cut. Comes complete with rocking bass line. Pollard howls wildly. Scotch-taped rock number that's tough to stomach. 

Song Of Love- 1  40 second acapella track.  Who cares?

Redboots And The Helmet- 2 Super lo-fi recording. Electric guitar, muffled Pollard vocals. Contains the lyrics "19 Something and 5," later used in the track "Dayton Ohio-19 Something and 5" off the 7''of same name.  Unlike that song, this one's not so hot. 

Hey Baby- 3  Cheap pump organ and Pollard vocals take the lead. Kind of a '50s rock n roll tune, if it was fucking haunted. Short and weird. 

Love Boat- 2  Bass holds song together with guitar strums popping in. Short and pretty worthless.

SIDE B:

Morning Has Broken- 4  Sad, moody, surreal song from the brothers' Pollard. Bob takes acoustics. Jim adds springy UFO feedback and amp drops.

Daily Planet- 3 Pretty much more of "Morning Has Broken," with Jim's weird amp noise, and Bob on acoustic, singing a never-ending story about Superman. Some humor here. Wonderfully surreal ending in the same vein as a David Lynch soundtrack.

Look To The Left- 4 Frantic electric guitar strums with silly vocal delivery. Somewhat catchy, if not annoyingly so. Pretty lo on that lo-fi scale too. Charmingly obnoxious and hooky.

You Will Be There- 2 Essentially tremolo amp noise that bleeds into some home-made Dayton Krautrock. Pollard comes in with some surrealist, cold vocal stylings. Way too long though. Almost decent but just out of reach.

Mongoose Orgasm- 1 It's song's like this where I'm convinced '80s Pollard could, and does, Quantum Leap to present day Pollard. In this leap, present day Pollard tells past Pollard that you can, literally, record anything, and one day release it. '80s Pollard then leaps back to record "Mongoose Orgasm." Instrumental with garage sale drum tones, stick clicks, and squeaking dog toy!

Exploratory Rat Fink Committee- 3 Jim Pollard (I presume), plays some flange, electric guitar, and Bob Pollard sings like he's bellowing in a rubber room,while still pulling off his vintage high-kicks. Completely asinine, cranium diarrhea, that all slops up into a fairly enjoyable stew.

Dungeon Of Drunks- 2 Acoustic guitar tune. Has somewhat of a grunge-feel. Acid Ranch even pulls off a rickety melody on this but to little success.

The Megaphonic Thrift (An Odd Assembly)- 3 Droning, melancholy, and completely lo-fi organ plays the lead while Pollard croons and preaches over it. Falsetto stuff too at 1:20 in! How 'bout that? Not absurd to think some of this could have made it on to an early GBV EP, sans the ODD role call at the end.

Lonely Street- 4 Barely audible electric guitar. Pollard sings as if having smoked one too many cigarettes and hit record in the middle of the night. Short and kind of sweet for Acid Ranch.

SIDE C:
Mr. Gene O- 1 Dumbest riff. Terrible vocals. No matter how you slice it. 2 minutes too long.

10-5-55-30- 2  Pollard sings numbers (yes, numbers) at random over decent chord progression as Mitch (I presume) adds lead guitar line. Too stupid.

I Hate Your Perfume- 2 Sad sac, brittle demo that never made the cut. It's some sort of a song, but so what? No it exists in this world. Man.

Steak And Eggs- 1 Jim Pollard does the noise guitar stuff as Bob sings an apparent dialogue between some characters (according to the detailed lyrics sheet). Bullshit for 3 minutes.

Dying- 4 Great mood piece for your college student film. Reminds me of when the improved Nightwalker material is really on point. This is terrible, but shut off all the lights and listen.

Edison's Memos [Original Title]- 2 Same song title also appears on Robert Pollard's semi-solo, rock fronted band The Choreographed Man Of  War LP in 2001. Unlike that song, which is GREAT, this is not the same song. Electric guitar picking becomes more urgent. Pollard yells. First minute's useless, but Pollard's mid-song vocal outburst is almost worth it. Almost.

What Kind Of Love Affair?- 2 None with this song, that's for sure. Yuck yuck yuck.  Goofy, drunken folky tune in a backwoods kind of way.

Fly- 1 Two chord rock riffs with amp noise, and vocals that sound like Pollard's singing gibberish into a scarf.

Electric Indians- 1 Sparse, reverberating guitar with Pollard spoken beat poetry over it. Surrealist writing is appreciated for Pollard's part, but music wise... what?

Newton's Hopeless Marriage- 1 Electric guitar riff as Pollard speaks verses and attempts some sort of chorus. Three very full minutes of ping-ponging guitar anti-matter.

That Girl Moore- 1 Those vocals! What in the world? Hillbilly drunken comedy thing.  Not worth a damn, but good for a laugh.



SIDE D:
Some Of The Magic Syrup Was Preserved- 4 If there were a pre-Circus Devils demo, this would be the track that spawned the fire. Eerie and bizarre. Again, like a good Nightwalker track, this is moody improv gone right.

You The Doctor- 2 Punk-spy themed number, with Pollard shouting vocals. 55 seconds but only 30 seconds of actual song.

Let's Go To China (Where The East Is Good To Me)- 4 Pollard solo on this with acoustic guitar. Has a Mountain Goats feel (pre-Mountian Goats, of course). A bit long, but the least sporadic track on here.

Scary Out There- 1 Moody, wish-wash guitars. Pollard's almost onto a short snippet tune but is WAY off-key. Short, but scrap.

Cath- 2 Horse as all hell, Bob Pollard does a Ted Leo tune (pre-Ted Leo, of course, and of course they apparently hate each other.  Refer to the James Greer book Learning To Hunt).  Forget this though.

Frogmen- 3 Yeah, you know. Frogmen. Simple, and whisteable tune from the dusty corner of the basement. Tremolo guitar as Pollard sings a decent tune over it. One of the better tracks from disc 2 of this wax pack.

Beatles And Stones- 4  Nearly 7 minutes long! Acoustic strumming and Pollard surreal beat-poetry. Recorded in the '80s, but reminiscent of the classic GBV direction but without the full execution. A glimpse of things to come. Super long, but put it on and kick back to the lo-fi pre-GBV rattle.

Salvation Army Bacon And Eggs- 1 Electric guitar jangle. Out of tune vocals. Pollard does some storytelling. Weird but you know... I don't know?  Then he barks like a dog. But you know...?  I still don't know.

Capsized! (2011)

Capsized!

(2011, Happy Jack Rock Records) 

 

Rolling right along in the nightmare of Circus Devils..... Grab your swim trunks, hold your breath, and get Capsized! Yeah, that's stupid, but if you listen to this record in your swim trunks it's probably not as weird as this record as a whole. Capsized! has a (very) loose nautical theme to it. What does it all mean? I don't know but it's another night swim down the twisted creek of Circus Devils. Oh, and there's a straight up POP-HIT thrown in for good mix. Released on opaque blue-gray vinyl!

SIDE A:

To England The Tigers- 2 Serene soundscapes swell alongside cymbal rolls, and an electric guitar lead. Quite the picturesque opener. Cheesy, but appropriate.

Capsized!- 5 Looping marimba clip with an ominous crunchy sound effect. Hard-rock guitar slams with hollow reverbed vocals. Sparse, but eerily powerful in a wonderful way.

Cyclopean Runways- 5 In contrast to "Capsized!" this sounds like a straight-up hi-fi GBV tune. This is, to me, the most blatant hit of the Circus Devils catalog. The cheesy undercurrent of synth is the only indication of this being a maddened Tobias/Pollard concoction. This track is complete with big rock-pop hooks, and a vintage Pollard style vocal line. Yes. 

Legendary Breakfast Code- 3 About as easy-listening as Pollard gets, especially under the Circus Devils moniker. Diner music pop for your beach vacation getaway. 

Nully Scully- 3 Psych guitar scramble. Pollard hovers over the mix with ominous pop vocals. A trippy little jaunt lasting just a bit over the minute mark.

Ariel Poop Show- 3 Awful title, yes. The second instrumental track of the LP thus far. The same guitar line repeats over and over into oblivion as the clunky percussion transforms this into an oddly catchy, TV show theme type of dance tune.

Hangerman Suits- 3 Stomping track that remains subdued throughout, and wrapped tightly in its own guitar crunch and air raid sound effects. This song is another one that come off as mysteriously catchy.

Leave The Knife Curtis- 4 Steady, post-rock guitar line sounds a tad reminiscent of Slint, at least in it's chord structure. Pollard basically reads a surreal suicide negotiation piece. Almost too silly, but the song's repetitious nature is highly effective.

Vampire Playing A Red Piano- 3 Again, this one tramples through a touch of Slint territory. Tobias plays an empty room, haunting piano piece while Pollard whispers a surreal narrative. Great downer to wrap up Side-A.

SIDE B

Double Vision- 2 Almost a pretty awesome song. The chorus has a simple, sweet melodic hook over the sharp guitar-buzz. But Pollards' goofy accent ruins it. Then vomiting (literal) sound clips drop by to say hi and fuck off.

What Wallace?- 1 Forget Wallace. What is THIS? Instrumental drone gurgling. Nothing more, and maybe even less.

Plate Of Scales- 1 The WORST lyrics ever for anything ever, maybe. A song about food poisoning and throwing up on oneself in near complete literal fashion. Music is slightly interesting, but Pollard murders this one. Sheesh.

Siren- 3 Classic acoustic number with hushed vocals with anthemic choruses. Eventually erupts into full on space opus for 5 seconds! And.... end scene.

Henry Loop- 2 Plodding drum stomp with acoustic hits and droning, both instrumentally and vocally. Dull, and dragging. Not much though leaked onto this one.

Stiffs On Parade- 2 Farfisa (or maybe just a shitty Casio setting imitation) plays as the bass carries this Young Marble Giants-like skeletal tune. Just the right amount of minimal, but perhaps almost too dull for its own good.

The Matter Of Being Good- 3 Hard-rocker that actually never really "rocks" too "hard" at all. Chorus is pretty decent. Could have easily found a proper home on a solo Pollard affair. This, however, has some drones and UFO sound effects, so you know it's Circus Devils appropriate.

Gable's Ear Wax- 4 Pollard delivers what sounds like a rehashed mid-90s vocal melody and sings it over a bizarre, drum rolling, and abrasively spacey track. Both don't fit, and yet, it completely works.

End Of The Swell- 5 Classic 55 second Pollard melody. Acoustic guitar and melodic drone. Perfect little snippet.

Safe On A Vegetable- 2 Cheesy instrumental, late-night TV soap-opera beach tune. Not fantastic, but a pretty solid instrumental track to close out the LP.

Mother Skinny (2010)

Mother Skinny

(2010, Happy Jack Rock Records)

 

Following their most accessible effort with 2009's, acoustically based, pop dusted Gringo LP, Circus Devils returned with an assaulting follow-up, Mother Skinny. Laced with some truly hard-rockers, psych drones, and short bursts of madness, Mother Skinny had more in common with 2008's Ataxia, than its predecessor. 

And much like Ataxia, Mother Skinny is full of some dizzyingly fun rewards, while also housing and some dank blips of mundane snooze. The LP has a blanket nursery rhyme feeling to it, albeit, a darkened one. The main downfall of this album is the amount of songs that feature  Pollard sporting a deadpan delivery over Todd Tobias's fairly uneventful riffs.  At times, it's enough to make even the short and weird snips feel long and forced.

SIDE A:

Sub Rat- 5 Ethereal drones frighteningly burst into a chugging tribal death march that drags you through a ring of fire, out to the field where the sacrifice happened. Great psych vocal on this too! Whoa. 

Lurking- 4 Subtle drum beat with reverberating organ. Desolate, murky, and unsettlingly pretty.

Wolf Man Chords- 4 Maddening carnival assembled noises give way to buzzing, dirgey, psyche-grunge.  Gruff, and ragged.  Yes!

Hard Art (Hard All Day)- 2 Hard-rock (appropriately I guess), slow head banger. Honestly, there is a pretty lame feel to this one, and the bottom shelf lyrics "harder than Sgt. Dildo," really drag this song down to damn near the ground. KROQ, nu metal of the late '90s, offered up Circus Devils.

Get On It- 1 Another asinine, hard-rocker that does in fact have a decent bridge. BUT, the ridiculously annoying vocal and guitar pattern makes one want to stab their brain. Pollard repeats the title so much, it's impossible to get out of your head, but in the worst way.

His Troops Are Loyal- 2 For a battle cry song, this is pretty spot on. However, it sounds like some kitschy tune they might play to pump up the home crowd at a sports arena. Annoying hook creeps up the base of the neck. Again, in a bad way. I can do without this.

Kingdoms Of Korea- 2 Slow, dripping death march again. Feels like dragging the chains behind you, on this one. Sad elephant type drones are about the only thing of note here.

Bam Bam Bam- 4 Nursery rhyme feel is present here, as Pollard rhythmically sings to every drum accent. Okay, that may sound stupid, but after a few listens, it finds a place.  A definite bright spot after a bunch of clunkers.

Germ Circus- 3 Nauseating, hangover inducing, skull pounding type track. Psychotic, mood piece with sickening instrumental accents and gurgling Pollard vocals.  Aptly named.

Legs To Love You- 3 Circus Devils goes funk on this one, as Pollard pulls a poor man's Robert Plant on vocals. Post-punk repetition shows its face here, and it teeters on being completely lame but just works, by the skin of its teeth.

 SIDE B:

17 Days On The Pole- 2 Misery drones open Side-B. This track can be likened to seeing a dim beacon of light in a gooey pile of muck, but just not enough to crack the surface.

Freezer Burn- 2 Short guitar stabbing tune, as dizzying whistles and howls jangle about. Fairly forgettable, and fairly dire.

We Don't Need To Know Who You Are- 3 Woozy organ accompanied by hushed psych vocals. Haunting little snippet song. At 55 seconds, this might be the first sign of life for Side-B.

A Living Necklace Of Warts- 2 Nope. Never mind. A decent upbeat riff rocker with a maniacal sideshow feel gets shit on by Pollard's unforgivable vocal delivery on the verses coupled with just too silly of lyrics.

The New Nostalgia- 1 Dark, dank, forgettable. In fact, the complete opposite of nostalgia. Drum is banged. Drone on.  Vocals. You get it.

The Cave Of Disappearing Men- 1 A slightly changing drone track for 40 seconds. No vocals. Again, you get it.

Mother Skinny- 5 Opens with one of the most chillingly atmospheric soundscapes of the cannon. The feeling of this one lies somewhere between waking up alone in the woods, and stumbling upon a carnival on fire. Diabolical organ pattern repeated over the surrealist drones, and psych-Bob ranting. Again, chilling. In the best way. 

All The Good Ones Are Gone- 4 Ahhh, the morning after the nightmare. Like waking up and realizing you're alive after a serious all-night bender. And boy, are you thankful! If the previous track was the descent, this one's the redemption. It's a piano ballad, and one can certainly picture Circus Devils at the baby white grand piano on a new Sunday dawn on this.

Pledge- 3 Beaten, battered; a bruised track of hopelessness. Like trying to make your way home on foot after the wreck. Surreal, declarative, but emotionally resonant vocals from Pollard.

Shut Up- 4 Looped cries of "SHUT UP!" play on infused with pulsating bass as Pollard sings. Unsettling, grating, and for sure a proper way to end Circus Devils' arguably darkest LP.

Gringo (2009)

Gringo

(2009, Happy Jack Rock Records)

 

Cirucus Devils weird noise barrage, and nightmare dreamscapes came to somewhat of an abrupt halt on their 7th full-length LP. Gringo, marketed as a their full-length acoustic LP, is a loose concept LP.  Following in the wandering anti-hero footsteps of Stephen King's Dark Tower series, and Sergio Leone's The Man With No Name trilogy, Gringo too follows the mysterious travels of an unnamed man through the desert.

Gringo, infused with a southwestern charge rarely seen in Pollard's work, is also by far the most accessible of the Cirucs Devils LPs; somewhat of a happy-medium for the straight-up GBV fans. Typical, however, to the majority of Circus Devils albums, the B-Side suffers from the weaker load of songs.

SIDE A:

Witness Hill- 4 This is one damn solid solo-Pollard style song. Nothing here indicates this is a Circus Devil's song, and thus sets the tone for the rest of the LP. Verses have a prog chord progression feel, but choruses are pretty hooky.

Every Moment Flame On- 5 Clackety percussion and the acoustic lead help give this a slightly Western feel, but this is a truly beautiful and pensive pop ballad. I can see this being too cheesy for the likes of some, but the repetitive hook at the end solidifies this track as pretty much perfect.

Ship From Prion To Prison- 4 Folk balladry with subtly lush orchestral swells. Who would've thought this from camp Circus Devils? 

Bad Baby Blue- 3 Pollard's lyrics and vocal stylings are certainly pretty silly on this one, but the chugging choruses are pretty solid. Song hammers away into matter-of-fact delivered vocal hook, and it's a damn good one.

Easy Baby- 5 Shit. This might just be the damned catchiest Circus Devils ever got. All thanks go to the upbeat drums, and infectiously simple, looping guitar-lead sample. So good!

Before It Walks- 3 Mid tempo, moody acoustic strummer. Chugs away at a steady but sleepier pace. Mildly potent. The "alright, alright" building ending is the real reward of the song. 

Monkey Head- 4 The longest tune of the LP reaching 4.5 minutes. Slower and waltz like, yet the drums pound away. Solid first half. Song then shifts gears to moody, not quite as solid total downer one the second. It does eventually build into a doomy, southwestern epic storytelling session. Hang with it. Can be rewarding.

SIDE B:

The Beast Falls Down- 3 Song puts you in a sad sacks of a mood, and is somewhat reminiscent of early '00s GBV. On a bit of the formless side, and suffers a bit from wobbly, out-of-tune Pollard delivery at times.

Letter From A Witch- 3 Western flavored percussion carries this steady, repeated riff-centric track. A solid 2.5 minutes for sure.

Arizona Blacktop Company- 3 The most suicidal, and Circus Devilish track the LP has offered up to this point. Desperate acoustic line is plucked solemnly as Tobias ups the anti with ear-piercing drone build-ups. Moody, and dark, but effective.

Hot Water Wine- 2 Fairly catchy, if not overly saccharine early section, gives way to wizard, psych swirl of ambiance, and reverb soaked vocals. Seems to be a snippet song that was needlessly stretched out.

In Your Hour of Rescue- 4 4/6 acoustic skeletal track holds it down. Performed and sung wonderfully, as if purposely skipping that beat. The chorus (or is it a bridge?) sung in vintage GBV style! Great outro.

Ants- 2 Modulated vocals tell some tale, as Tobias's background synth plays a decent melancholy tune. However, the song is mucked up by some pretty dumb lyrics and too many noise samples. Pollard's delivery is pretty spot on for this though, but the music is for the dogs.

Stars On All Night- 3 Lonely, evening back porch New Mexico tune. The siesta track of the LP, even if it's near the end.

The Gasoline Drinkers- 4 The first non-acoustic song off the record. Sleazy, angry bar-rocker, but without the hard-rock heaviness. The guitar lines, are almost Primus-like (dare I say). Borders on cheese, but is a much welcomed addition to the LP.

Yellow Cloud- 1 Pulsating, all-instrumental drone leads out the album. This does work fine as a moody outro. As a stand alone song, pass. But it's the end, so hang on for a minute and a half why don't ya? It's all part of the experience. 

Ataxia (2008)

Ataxia

(2008, Happy Jack Rock Records)

The follow-up to the dizzying, dense Sgt. Disco, and the first Circus Devils LP to hold a Halloween release date since Pinball Mars, Ataxia is another sonic balancing act between Pollard and engineer/instrumentalist Todd Tobias.  Returning on this too, after a 2 record absence, is Tim Tobias on guitar.   

Ataxia is a two-faced record. The A-side finds Circus Devils returning to more abrasive sound attacks, and straight-up hard-rock twists found on their first two LPs. The B-side, however, feels more convoluted; a batch of serene, yet unsettling (and disappointing) drones reminiscent of the tossed-off effort that was their LP Five.  Also, Ataxia showcases Todd Tobias' dying need to finally cut loose on the drums! (see Side-A).

SIDE A:

Under Review- 3   Ambiance turns to what sounds like looping metallic blades and backwards looped record scratches. Pollard's pretty strong with the vocals on this. Intriguing opener.

I-Razors- 4 Drums fade up and into lo-fi metal! Song constantly falls apart and comes back in. The closest Circus Devils got to playing a math rock song too. In 2013, the Circus Devils' film of similar name also saw release. So put that in your back pocket.

Freedom's Monster- 3 Nervous, backwards loop track complete with repetitive dog bark. Yup. Dank, muted chords chug the song along. Never really breaks from its steady, taught confines though.

That's The Spirit- 1 Bridge-gap song that lasts 40 seconds. No harm here, but nothing really at all.

Backwash Television- 4 A drum intro that make you think, hey is this the '90s? Then Pollard jumps in.  Hard-rocker with pounding guitar accents.  Dig it.

The Girls Will Make It Happen- 5 Dance party somewhere in between a bad dream and a midnight movie screening. Nervous, popping, post-punk Circus Devils style.  May cause epilepsy, and repeated listens.

Mayflower Brought Disease- 3 What a great Circus Devils title. Mid-tempo tune that sounds like a Pollard solo leftover, except for the constant, distracting robot chomping noise, and frantic outro. Great harmonies on that outro by the way.

Stars, Strips, And Crack Pipes- 4 Dark, sweaty repetitious guitar verses into more free formed vocal-less choruses. Song becomes oddly catchy, with the looped Uncle Bob "Woooowooo"s in between Pollard's spoken word delivery.

Ataxia- 2 Two minute instrumental piece helps let the LP breath after a handful of solid songs. Tobias plays piano over cold ambiance. Decent length and feel, but forgettable on its own.

Nets At Every Angle- 5 This song feels wrong. Dank and vile almost. A track that reaches into the depths of the magic hat, and pull out all the stops. Melvins-paced cyclical stomp, whirling noises, baritone Pollard vocals. The best part, Todd Tobias loops whistles of "Entrance of the Gladiators," throughout. You know!The Circus song! Strangely, this makes it. Second part of the song is lonely, barren, and beautiful.

SIDE B:

Hi, I'm Martha, How Are You?- 2 What a way to kick off Side B. Sci-fi doom backing track. Reminiscent of a bad flashback scene from The Twilight Zone with drawled vocals. Snoozer.

Lunatic Style-1 This one's just boring. Whooshing loop, organ nightmare music. Soundtrack music to a dark castle setting, but who wants to listen to it? Pollard speak-sings. Waste of time.

Get Me Extra!- 3 Sounds like warped middle eastern science fiction, that eventually turns into more of an intro to an '80s action TV show. Pollard speak-sings in declarative tones. Intriguing, if not the first sign of pulse on Side-B.

I Found The Black Mind- 2 Several types of drones, drums pound as if they were barrels in an abandoned factory. Pollard adds some words. Moody and cold, but ultimately unsatisfying.

He Had All Day- 3 Acoustic plucks over drones. Pollard delivers strong vocal performance. Feels like a decent solo demo fleshed out on the spot, as Tobias adds ambiance.

Fuzz In The Street- 1 The Epic of the LP! 6 and a half minutes! Part 1 is a bumbling drum fill stuff part with deep Pollard vocals. Song then breaks out into what sounds like a switchboard short circuiting. Essentially, a platform for Todd Tobias to showcase his sound collages. A long, unwelcomed haul to undertake.

Rat Face Ballerina- 4 Hammer-on guitar anthem played, unaccompanied, as Pollard delivers vintage vocal bellowing. Sparse with just the vocals, and buzzing electric guitar. Solidly closes out this sordid affair.

Sgt. Disco (2007)

Sgt. Disco

(2007, Ipecac Records)

 

The most EPIC of the Circus Devils albums, Sgt. Disco is their Quadrophenia, their White Album, an Exile On Main Street of sorts; 3 LPs that might make Pollard shit his pants in excitement just by the mention. Do they compare to any of them?  Well... okay. Let's scale back.

Sgt. Disco was, at one time, rumored to be the fourth LP, to be released after 2003's Pinball Mars.  In 2005, however, Circus Devils released Five instead, arguably the most misguided and underwhelming off all the Circus Devils LPs. Sgt. Disco had apparently been put on hold.

2007 finally saw the release of this 32 (!) song, 70 + minute LP. Like Boston Spaceships Let It Beard, the dramatic over-haul of songs sounds better on paper than it sometimes does on record. Still, for some of its short-comings, Sgt. Disco is a pretty strong, psychotic, and sonically satisfying return to form for Todd Tobias and Pollard (Tim Tobias sits this one out for the 2nd straight LP).   

Also intriguing, this remains the only Circus Devils to be released on a label other than a Pollard-related label. Mike Patton's (Faith No More, Phantomas, Tomahawk) Ipecac Records put this out on CD. A limited to 500 double-LP run was released on Happy Jack Rock Records though, for the diehards. Understandably, it sold out in a flash.

SIDE A:

Zig Zag- 3  Ethereal synth with eerie minor-chord piano, and anthemic, surreal Pollard vocals. This song is no anthem, by the way. Short and uneasy opener. Well suited.

In Maddona's Gazebo- 5 Sounds like if Nu Metal took a hit of acid, went to sleep, and had a dream it was actually a decent genre of music. Warped, pounding, post-punk nightmare complete with repeated laugh track and minor hooks.

George Took A Shovel- 3 Swampy, bar rock song that's only "Cirucs Devils" touched-in-the-head due to Pollard upfront, dead-pan vocals in the verses.

Pattern Girl- 4  Metronomic beginning into laid back, '70s cocaine/heroin tinged rocker. Period piece slow jam.

Nicky Highpants- 5  Perfectly weird, well harmonized, minimal track. Has a lo-budget GBV feel to it while still rotating on the Circus Devils' axis around the dark side of the sun, if there were such a place.

Love Hate Relationship With The Human Race- 3 Short, cock-rocker that even contains the word "cocksuckers," in the lyrics! Love the upfront, clanging cowbell. This one, essentially, sounds like a Pollard solo cut, said cowbell being the only oddity on the track.

Brick Soul Mascots (Part One)- 4 Slow, hushed opening breaks into pounding drums and thin guitar power-chords, back into murky slowness. Eventually, the track builds back into tight, repetitive outro. Slow, long, and rewarding. 

SIDE B:

Break My Leg- 3 Jarringly sparse, cold, dire short opener to Side B. You can see your breath on this one. 

Outlasting Garafalo- 1 Space flange slathered all over the guitars like a thick sauce, as Pollard sings like he's doing a poor impersonation of Eddie Vedder. This song annoys the hell out of me, from its title, to the repetitive bass riff, to the lyrics.

The Assassin's Ballroom (Get Your Ass In)- 2  Tick-tocking percussion with repeating semi-funk, walking basslines with background orchestration like a creaking ship. The music is pretty awesome, but Pollard's redundantly dumb lyrics BADLY hurt the cause.

The Winner's Circle- 3 Ever walk alone through a rust post-industrial wasteland on Nyquil in the dead of winter on your way to an abandoned train station? You have? What the fuck? For the rest of you, this Tom Waits-like, surreal short piece is exactly that.

The Constable's Headscape- 2 Pollard's vocals, the core rhythm track of the song, and the added ambiance all seem to clash. Strong vocal effort is the highlight. Nothing's out of sync, yet nothing meshes.

In Your Office- 2 Crunchy, farting stomp with ringing, distant organ. Pretty minimal, and forgettable. Also, lyrics are subtle, yet creepy... in a bad way.

New Boy- 5 Holy shit. Nursery rhyme fever dream. This is what I feel Circus Devils was predicated upon. One minute long, jarring. If a jack in the box came to life and began holding down a steady job, this might be his theme song.

Puke It Up- 2 38 second instrumental gap track. Blink, or burp, and you might miss it. 

Swing Shift- 5 Cluttered, clacking percussion with distant orchestral string-synth playing a beautifully melancholy, and quite memorable lead line. Pollard delivers some strong vocals, making this the unlikeliest hit of the LP. Catchy, yet cold, sad, and distant. Powerful stuff.

SIDE C:

Happy Zones- 3  This is the full Circus Devils envelope, but at 4 minutes, this mood piece overstays its welcome. Sci-fi, looping sound clips, followed by bottomless-pit synth drones, and wizardly organ bits. Pollard essentially does spoken word type stuff.  Depressing as shit.

The Pit Fighter- 1 Sounds like someone's practicing their beginner metal guitar scales on the verses before breaking off into a lame bluesy chorus. Percussion wise, we've got the trusty drums, and a wobbly sheet of plastic being flapped around? Annoying all around.

Bogus Reactions- 3 Reminiscent of a Ween track from the modulated looping vocals to the Captain Beefhart percussion stomps. Pollard fluctuates vocal stylings, but remains strong throughout.

Hot Lettuce- 1 Meandering. First part sounds like drums and a dude playing guitar falling down the steps. Second part sounds like beginner guitar improv solo over smashed drums. Circus Devils take on Zappa?  All instrumental and pointless.

Safer Than Hooking- 2 Plodding bass line over slop post-punk drums. Dank and boring.

Dead Duck Dinosaur- 4 Nightmare machine, see-saw instrumentation with well harmonized Pollard melody. Surreal, nursery rhyme pop complete with killer hook.

Do This- 3 One minute instrumental track. Tribal looped drum feel, repetitive organ riff, and an ambient undercurrent. Great unsettling bridge-the-gap song.

Brick Soul Mascots (Part Two)- 3 Picks up where Part One left off on Side A. Basically the outro of the first repeated into anthemic ending. Reminiscent of early '90s GBV shoestring arena rock cut.

SIDE D:

Caravan- 1 Under a minute, and should be shorter. Sounds like Pollard taking a shit on a mystical toilet while the universe suffers from acid reflux.

 Lance The Boiling Sun- 2 Wizards, goblins, and modulated voices abound! Don't actually know about those first two, though. Get ready to get chest deep in needless masturbatory, mystic prog rock.

War Horsies- 1 Washy, dripping synths puddle around the thin bass line, as Pollard sings like a maddened ring-leader. Sometimes worshiping the wrong parts of Sgt. Pepper's... is a bad idea. Did I say sometimes?  I meant always.

French Horn Litigation- 2 Three minute, stare at the wall rock song. Meandering, stoned track that leaves no lasting impression. Just keep staring at the wall, and throw this one away.

The Baby That Never Smiled- 4 Kind of lame, kind of great! Pollard sings a rather strong hook over scrapheap electric guitar strums. 35 seconds long. Awesome! Be alert.

Man Of Square Parts- 2 Sludge with buzzing fart effects. Could've been better if it weren't so short and directionless.

Rose In Parades- 4 A mix of '50s dinner table music and '60 sci-fi with Pollard delivering a Wizard of Oz-esque, melancholy vocal line. Hauntingly solid. 

Summer Is Set- 4 Starts off like an '80s instructional video about using computers. Breaks into pipe organ, circus stomp before going back into nervous organ warping. Suitable way to end this monster of an LP. 

Five (2005)

Five

(2005, Fading Captain Series)

Following the release of Pinball Mars, Circus Devils began work on their reported epic, double LP masterpiece, Sgt. Disco.  However, Pollard and Todd Tobias (this time working without brother Tim), decided to throw a wrench in the works and release their fourth LP Five.  According to the release info on gbvdb.com, Sgt. Disco was "shelved."  However, Five has a feel of being almost a complete throw-away, even in the weird wold of Circus Devils.  Even by their standards, this one makes little sense.  The most subdued LP of the cannon, Five feels like an incomplete collection of hushed snippets and dead-end ideas lost in the wind.    It would be two years and change before the epic Sgt. Disco LP saw the light of day.

SIDE A:
The Bending Sea- 2 Minimal orchestral soundscape with digital Pollard on the mic. A cold, lonely two minute opener.

Look Between What's Going On- 2 Remote vocals again, over prickly prog blips and avant gurgles, none too abrasive.  Slightly more substantial than the opener, but only by a hair.

Just Touch Them- 1 Junkyard avant garde evolves into minimal acoustics, then leaps into auraul pulsating. No thanks though. Okay. Slips into...

Artheroid Vogue- 2 Clearest vocals yet delivered over soud snippet. Disolves into vibrating tremelo sounds. Yup.  Fades into...

Dog Lick Baby- 3 40 seconds of over-the-phone type vocals.  Over before it starts, and the brightest spot yet on the LP. And that's stretching it.

Thelonius Has Eaten All The Paper- 2 Pensive see-saw synth pulse as Pollard sing-speaks some stuff over it. Uh-huh.

Strain- 3 The most "song" like up to this point. Bass and drums hold it down, while crystalized synth shards glide over it.  Pollard sings some stuff, but unfortunately, pretty out-of-tune. Even though there isn't much of a tune here.

Animal Motel- 2 Dingy, two and a half minute foray into spoken word with telephone effect some noise nonsense. Murky, directionless, Circus Devils!

Future For Germs- 4 Pollard delivers some decent, arguably soulful, repetitive vocals over short spurt of actual song!  Yes! Whoa! Where'd this come from?  Hey, repeat if you must.

Effective News- 2 Cut and past approach of vocal and music stylings. Sound like Uncle Bob is singing into the void, before he switches to more cryptic spoken word.  Unsettling soundscapes carry this out.

No Wonder They Don't Stand Tall- 3 Cold as 3 a.m. in January in the mid-west. A fuller representation of what this LP is trying to accomplish, but often fails to do. Pollard croons over sparse guitar jangle, and atmospheric landscapes.

We Taught Them- 1 Phoned in, even for this record.  Masturbatory tape recording.


SIDE B:
Eyes Reload- 3 Hey! It's one minute. And it makes the most sense this far in this non-concept LP.  Almost a "real" song in a structural sense.

Her Noise- 2  Sounds like a bridge-gap track off Pinball Mars. Worth hearing on its own?  No. Too avant, but two fairly discernible tracks in a row?  Side B is looking up?

"In The Mood"- 3  If this were as punk as fuck as this record gets, I'll take it.  Mind you, this is no where near anything punk. Not even for a Wire toss-off.  Pollard bellows over high-pitched distorted propulsive track with dirgey finish.  A touch of Throbbing Gristle perhaps?

Tell 'Em The Old Man Is Coming Down- 3 Solemn piano track as Pollard hauntingly sings. One of the most formed and haunting tracks on the record.

Dolphins Of Color- 4 Pollard performed this during his solo tours at the time.  Live versions even appear on the Moon Live CD, and his solo LISTW 7''. Perhaps the best vocal performance on the record, "Dolphins Of Color" is a bone chilling, ice tracks that crawls slowly into the night. Love it.

Dreaming The Temple- 2 Ritualistic, tribal drums and swelling ambient noise. Ice-coated instrumental track.

The Word Business- 4 Kaleidoscopic background flutter as upfront Pollard vocals steadily pound away.  And there's even somewhat of a hook to this!

Headhunter Who Blocks The Sky- 4 Triumphant psych rock dirdge with doubled vocals. This one is taking a trip down the kaleidoscope.  2 strong tracks in a row!

People Thing- 2 Tom carried opening with Jandek-esque guitar strums. Then, it sounds like Pollard's giving a speech while squeaking door-hinge organ moans and groans.

You Take The Lead- 4 Hmmm, what's this?  A sunny day, lazy pop tune tacked on the end of the record?  Cool.  Of course, there's a Circus Devils, fucked-up undercurrent to it. Short, and very welcomed.

The Other Heart- 1  One more symphonic yawner for the LP, shall we?  Instrumental, Phillip Glass stuff, sends off this snoozey record.