Robert Pollard: Honey Locust Honky Tonk
Robert Pollard
Honey Locust Honky Tonk
(GBV Inc.)
Going by the title and the album cover, youād be forgiven for assuming that Robert Pollardās latest endeavor is Robert Pollardās departure into country. The prolific Guided By Voices frontman sticks pretty close to his tried and true formula of quick, quirky indie rock songs, but thereās no question that the style works damn well for him.
Thereās no gentle easing into this record. āHe Requested Thingsā storms right out of the gate with insistent guitar and a demand for attention. Thereās no need to warm up when the 17-track collectionās longest song is still only three and a half minutes long. In this sense, Pollard is a genius for keeping things interesting: such brevity leaves no room for boredom. Sometimes you donāt need even a minute to get across a point like āI Have to Drink.ā
The longer songs should not be discounted though. āStrange and Pretty Dayā revolves around a simplistic but captivating piano line. āWho Buries the Undertakerā features Pollardās signature cleverness with questions like, āWho marries the cake maker?ā Perhaps the closest Pollard comes to country is the acoustic-driven āI Killed a Man Who Looks Like You,ā with lyrics that are vaguely menacing in a Johnny Cash sort of way.
Sometimes you need your music to be quick, punchy, and a bit irreverent. As always, Robert Pollard delivers on all these fronts without getting sloppy. Pollard is a machine in putting out good rock. Check this out.