ROBERT POLLARD
NORMAL HAPPINESS
MERGE

Cleveland Free Times
By Brian Baker

Brilliant pop songs fall out of Robert Pollard with the same effortlessness that Superman exhibits when he's squeezing coal into diamonds. Although some may question the validity of everything that Pollard releases, from his legitimate label albums to his self-released collaborations and his largely solo Fading Captain series, no one can doubt the sincerity with which Pollard explores his inner Britpop child. After the sprawling magnificence of the double-length From a Compound Eye, Pollard's first post-Guided by Voices project released earlier this year, his follow-up, Normal Happiness, seems positively streamlined by comparison, with 16 tracks clocking in at just over 35 minutes. It also feels slightly more thrown together, with Pollard's vocal melodies straining to reach notes more than his usual beer-soaked methodology allows.

It's a minor quibble. Pollard's voice has never been his main selling point. The marquee item is and has always been Pollard's amazing songwriting, indelibly shaped by his love of Pete Townshend and the Beatles, and played with a ferocity that matches his prolific nature. In that light, Normal Happiness plays like a Townshend basement demo, with the scuffed immediacy of a mad rock genius hurrying to get his ideas down before they skitter away. In this case, Pollard's songs on Normal Happiness might have benefited from another coat of polish, but it's hardly cause for fan concern.