SMC: Tobin Sprout and Robert Pollard double header
StoneG82
Posts: 806
I guess things have been pretty slow around the SMC lately....don't really know what's going on....here's two short little pop records to hold everyone over until the next pick. I figured it would be cool to show everyone what the two big hitters in Guided by Voices did after Guided by Voices.
the first one is Moonflower Plastic by Tobin Sprout. It's a nice little record filled with beautiful songs with really gorgeous melodies. allmusic:
"The cryptically titled Moonflower Plastic (Welcome to My Wigwam) was the first album he released after leaving the band, and unlike its predecessor, it established Sprout as an entity separate from Guided By Voices. Where Carnival Boy was essentially a GBV album in miniature, Moonflower Plastic works from that band's signature lo-fi art-pop foundation and opens up the formula. The songs here are richer and more fully realized. They take time to make their point, and are supported by more detailed arrangements; several tracks even feature piano, and Sprout's voice is richer than before. Similarly, his songwriting is prettier and more affecting. Sprout hasn't abandoned the lo-fi aesthetic -- there are still layers of hiss, and the recording is charmingly amateurish -- but he has invested it with an emotional sincerity that rivals Lou Barlow"
the 2nd is the new Bob Pollard record. it's a nice return to form, with 2-3 minute pop songs. allmusic:
"Like From a Compound Eye, Pollard made Normal Happiness with longtime collaborator Todd Tobias, who produced the album and played nearly all the instruments, ably building the tracks around Pollard's vocals and guitar. However, while Pollard was trying to make the Great Rock Double Album with Compound Eye, Normal Happiness is more in the tradition of his best work with GBV -- sixteen short songs (only one over three minutes, seven under two), with plenty of hooks, lots of guitar and no more fuss than necessary. Tobias' production is far cleaner than the hissy lo-fi of Bee Thousand, but the lean and uncluttered accompaniment here is certainly in the same family, and allows the virtues of Pollard's tunes to show through (though GBV never had this much new wave keyboard work). Pollard does seem to be making a genuine effort to mature as a songwriter with more structurally ambitious songs such as "Gasoline Ragtime" and "Full Sun (Dig the Slowness)," but "Supernatural Car Lover," "Rhoda Rhoda," and "Towers and Landslides" show he hasn't turned his back on the muse that fueled his earlier work, and he can still make guitar-based pop songs with a hard rock core with the best of 'em."
both records fit on one cd, so if you want, burn yourself a nice little fall pop record.
the first one is Moonflower Plastic by Tobin Sprout. It's a nice little record filled with beautiful songs with really gorgeous melodies. allmusic:
"The cryptically titled Moonflower Plastic (Welcome to My Wigwam) was the first album he released after leaving the band, and unlike its predecessor, it established Sprout as an entity separate from Guided By Voices. Where Carnival Boy was essentially a GBV album in miniature, Moonflower Plastic works from that band's signature lo-fi art-pop foundation and opens up the formula. The songs here are richer and more fully realized. They take time to make their point, and are supported by more detailed arrangements; several tracks even feature piano, and Sprout's voice is richer than before. Similarly, his songwriting is prettier and more affecting. Sprout hasn't abandoned the lo-fi aesthetic -- there are still layers of hiss, and the recording is charmingly amateurish -- but he has invested it with an emotional sincerity that rivals Lou Barlow"
the 2nd is the new Bob Pollard record. it's a nice return to form, with 2-3 minute pop songs. allmusic:
"Like From a Compound Eye, Pollard made Normal Happiness with longtime collaborator Todd Tobias, who produced the album and played nearly all the instruments, ably building the tracks around Pollard's vocals and guitar. However, while Pollard was trying to make the Great Rock Double Album with Compound Eye, Normal Happiness is more in the tradition of his best work with GBV -- sixteen short songs (only one over three minutes, seven under two), with plenty of hooks, lots of guitar and no more fuss than necessary. Tobias' production is far cleaner than the hissy lo-fi of Bee Thousand, but the lean and uncluttered accompaniment here is certainly in the same family, and allows the virtues of Pollard's tunes to show through (though GBV never had this much new wave keyboard work). Pollard does seem to be making a genuine effort to mature as a songwriter with more structurally ambitious songs such as "Gasoline Ragtime" and "Full Sun (Dig the Slowness)," but "Supernatural Car Lover," "Rhoda Rhoda," and "Towers and Landslides" show he hasn't turned his back on the muse that fueled his earlier work, and he can still make guitar-based pop songs with a hard rock core with the best of 'em."
both records fit on one cd, so if you want, burn yourself a nice little fall pop record.
"What’s Orphans? I don’t know. Orphans is a dead end kid driving a coffin with big tires across the Ohio River wearing welding goggles and a wife beater with a lit firecracker in his ear." - Tom Waits
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~it is shining it is shining~
WAR + MAGIC BEANS = PEACE
so with that in mind, why the hell Tobin Sprout and Robert Pollard aren't talked about by this same majority that would take the time to appreciate the Beatles eludes me (a little). these 2 could probably write the greatest single CD this decade (or last) however they are too quirky at times and sometimes simply to stubborn to do it.
I think it is great they do it, they could care less about writing the greatest CD of the decade and I have to tip my hat off to them for that. It is also great that I could hand this CD to my mother who LOVES the Beatles and would probably think Moonflower Plastic, Angles Hang their Socks on the Moon are fantastic songs. All Used Up is SO radio worthy but will never see the light of day for the 99.9% of people since they are perhaps too lazy.
Robert Pollards disc is what I have come to expect. a little less friendly then the Sprout disc however The Accidental Texas Who and Towers and Landslides again would probably find a place in any heart of a music listener who seeks it out. I will credit this forum and 2 people in particular for pushing me to appreciate Pollard.
I am not sure I made my point however this is what goes through my head when I hear these releases.
So hell yes, I burned both of these to 1 disc and will stay in the player for a few more days.
really great post man....I agree with everything. Tobin and Bob (Bob especially) are two of the most underappreciated geniuses in music today.
i agree too! i guess i think of pollard as more alternative but its only because i know the beatles came way before? does that make sense?
~it is shining it is shining~
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