The New Theory Of Everything
(2011, Happy Jack Rock Records)
On this one-off side project, Pollard teamed up with songsmith/indie stalwart Gary Waliek. Waliek did time in Boston's Volcano Suns, and more prominently, '80s/'90 cornerstones Big Dipper. The two were joined by Robert Beerman, formerly of indie journeymen Pell Mell, who had released records on such labels at K, SST, and Matador in the '80s and '90s.
In true Pollard side-project fashion, Waliek wrote all the music, and handled nearly all instrumentation. Beerman, however, took the reigns on drums Pollard added song titles, lyrics, and vocals melodies. The LP is a fairly strong outing with a few marks missed. Worth the time of day, so drop your last damn dime on this piece.
SIDE
A:
New
Theory- 5 Gary
Waliek delivers a solid pop song that sounds fairly identical to
later period GBV. Pollard, a bit on the nasally side, tackles
the melodies with strength and makes it look easy. College rock is
back, you so and so!
Man.Wine.Power!- 4 Cut
and dry, 3 chord indie-pop. Uptempo, and clean.Punctuated
simple chorus hook is semi-grating, but admittedly catchy. Better with repeated listens.
There
Never Was a Sea of Love- 4 I
know.That title makes you shiver, don’t it? The song might
make you shiver too, if you’re not afraid to admit you’re in the
mood for a breezy, organ driven ballad with bad lyrics from time to
time. Or you might just hate it. Pop this on during the next rainy
day and forget about paying your bills.
Pre-Med’s
a Trip- 3 Worse
song title than the previous one. Recalls Big Dipper, on the heavier side. Crunchy but lackluster. For the first time on
the record, feels like the 2 guys phoned it in a tad too much. Just remember the poetry of, “I at my kung fu best" (not a typo).
I
Am an All-Star- 3 Ahh,
the thrill of being humble. Terrible song title, yet again. Slow
and delicate. Song could benefit from different lyrics in
the chorus, but it’s simplistically catchy and kind of pretty. Cool
bridge, chock full of some out-of-left field variety.
Dr.
New Pile (Can You Guess Him)-
3 Uptempo
but fairly bland on the part of Waliek. Luckily, Pollard penned a
smooth and catchy chorus out of a simplistic and nondynmaic chord pattern.
“It’s uniquely unoriginal,” Pollard sings at one point.
Interesting. Actually, the instrumental bridge raises an
eyebrow.
SIDE
B:
Paint
the Rocks- 1 Snoozy
and moody with too much of nothing going on. Guitar seems to have a case of the tremolo fever shakes.
(It’s
Good to Be) Bug Boy- 2 Song
has potential, but the choruses are awkwardly constructed, and on top
of that, I have to listen to a grown man melodically sing “Yea,
it’s good to be bug boy!” over and over.
Lumps- 2 Tough
to name a song “Lumps” isn’t it? Not if you’re Robert
Pollard. Spacey at a snails pace. Out of tune Pollard vocals that
seem to have a tough time playing catch up, or even figuring out the
rhythm to this molasses drip of an angular ballad.
It
Had to Come From Somewhere- 2 Mid-90’s,
poppy GBV riffs which start off with some promise and mid-tempo
vigor. But the chorus is repetitive and uninspired. Pollards vocals
throughout most of the song is, essential, spoken nonsense.
Disappointing.
Wish
You Were Young- 4 Great
guitar riff, reminiscent of “Love is Stronger Than Witchcraft”
even if Waliek wrote the song. Light, pop that sounds like it
came straight off a Pollard solo LP. Gray, and moody, but subtly
hopeful. Decent, sentimental ending to a fairly positive Pollard side-project.
Love the entire album, and oddly, my favorite song is "it's good to be bug boy"--there's just something so deliriously stupid about singing along with it.
ReplyDeleteOne of my favorite side-project efforts. The riff on "Wish You Were Young" is a modification of that found on "Dayton, Ohio 19 Something & 5". It is literally one fret lower on the guitar, and the phrasing is extremely similar. That is not a criticism. If you're going to emulate a riff, might as well make it one of the best ever! Great album. Wish the vinyl wasn't so hard to come by.
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