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Published On: Sun, Aug 11th, 2013

Robert Pollard: Honey Locust Honky Tonk

robert pollardRobert Pollard
Honey Locust Honky Tonk
(GBV Inc.)

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Going by the title and the album cover, youā€™d be forgiven for assuming that Robert Pollardā€™s latest endeavor is Robert Pollardā€™s 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 thereā€™s no question that the style works damn well for him.

Thereā€™s no gentle easing into this record. ā€œHe Requested Thingsā€ storms right out of the gate with insistent guitar and a demand for attention. Thereā€™s no need to warm up when the 17-track collectionā€™s 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 donā€™t need even a minute to get across a point like ā€œI Have to Drink.ā€

The longer songs should not be discounted though. ā€œStrange and Pretty Dayā€ revolves around a simplistic but captivating piano line. ā€œWho Buries the Undertakerā€ features Pollardā€™s signature cleverness with questions like, ā€œWho marries the cake maker?ā€ Perhaps the closest Pollard comes to country is the acoustic-driven ā€œI 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.

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Robert Pollard: Honey Locust Honky Tonk