Get a faceful

Even with the end of Guided By Voices, frontman Robert Pollard remains more then prolific in his output. Normal Happiness represents his second solo album released this year (the first being From a Compound Eye) on top of albums from side projects Pyscho and the Birds, The Takeover, and Keene Brothers (with Tommy Keene.) Normal Happiness, however, represents a change.... or perhaps an editor. Yes, more focused and less fat then your regular Pollard affair of late. FaCE was a exhilarating look into Bob's psyche, but the slaphazard collection was a tad frustrating in it's uwillingless to be an album (of course, that's part of the reason I still love it so.)

Album: Robert Pollard - Normal Happiness
Free Album Stream (Merge Records)

With songs like "Supernatural Car Lover," "Serious Bird Woman," and "Get a Faceful" Bob flexes his impressive pop muscle, while still rocking out with the bookend tracks "Full Sun (Dig the Slowness)" and opener "Accidental Texas Who." Meanwhile "I Feel Gone Again" is just the sort of song I'd hope from the new album from The Who (but expect to be sorely disappointed.) But the genre that Uncle Bob seems to mine the best these days is psyche-rock, with the excellent "Pegasus Glue Factory." What the album doesn't need, is the muddled mess that is "Join the Eagles," in which the title's sentiment is felt.

All in all, it's more or less still Bob going strong, and I get the feeling he's going to be doing this for a long time.

Previously:
Recovering (Robert Pollard live review)
2nd Impressions of 2006
Early surprise from Uncle Bob (FaCE review, 11/11/05)
Navigating flood regions (GBV Box)

tags: playlist, music, robert pollard, guided by voices, gbv, the who, indie rock, rhapsody