Music: Robert Pollard - Silverfish Trivia
Artist: Robert Pollard
Album:
Label: Prom Is Coming
Released: 2007
Purchased From: Reckless Records / 1532 N. Milwaukee Ave. / Chicago, IL
Price: $9.99 + tax
Purchased on: 09/12/07
Review: Robert Pollard has always had several musical projects going at once, yet only a few categories for his countless avenues of aural expression. There was the band, Guided By Voices (GBV), which constituted the mainline of Pollard’s creative focus accompanied by a revolving group of friends and others as band members. Alongside GBV, was Pollard’s Fading Captain record label which served as the umbrella for countless other bands and projects. Then, there was everything else. Despite the demise of Guided by Voices in the wee hours of a dawning 2005 and (more recently) the end of the Fading Captain projects, mere endings cannot stop the prolificity of Bob Pollard.
This latest solo release from Bob (of course, latest is relative with someone who records and releases music so often) falls under a new category called Prom Is Coming. What makes the Prom Is Coming record label different from the Fading Captain label is probably only known to Pollard himself. The name comes from a song title from his first solo album, , only furthering the continuum and confusion of Bob’s output.
Silverfish Trivia is an oddity in that it is so brief. Pollard is known for albums made up of 20+ tracks, but this self-described mini-LP clocks in at seven tracks and just over 25 minutes. Despite its brevity, this may be one of Pollard’s most accessible albums. Framed by two simple string instrumentals and split by an acoustic intermission, the four remaining tracks focus Bob’s songwriting and highlight the best qualities of his vocal range. “Circle Saw Boy’s Club” is easily the album’s best track, laced with poetry and impassioned melancholy that the best pop songs are made of. “Touched To Be Sure” will appeal to fans of GBV as well as Pollard initiates with its simple rock progression and irreverent imagery. “Wickerman Smile” is a slow waltz for the indie rock age while the album’s longest creation, “Cats Love A Parade” meanders through styles and content like a modern day “Happiness Is A Warm Gun” showcasing Pollard’s stream of consciousness talents in a catchy pastiche of style changes.
Silverfish Trivia will sate the die hard GBV fan’s appetite for more while whetting the appetite of anyone who hasn’t had the pleasure of already discovering Pollard’s unique genius.
Rating: 3.75 / 5
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