Tobin - 3.5/4 stars

Bob - 3/4 stars

---------------------------------- ALTERNATIVE

Robert Pollard NOT IN MY AIRFORCE

Matador

Tobin Sprout

CARNIVAL BOY

Matador

*********************************************************************** They're out. The solo debut albums from Robert Pollard and Tobin Sprout, both of the soon-to-be-no-more (at least in its current form) Guided By Voices, are in stores now.

New York-based Matador Records has simultaneously released the albums and is cross-promoting Pollard's Not in My Air Force and Sprout's Carnival Boy , although the two projects aren't really connected beyond the guys' GBV affiliation. Yeah, the two locally based singer/songwriters show up on each other's liner notes, and GBV drummer Kevin Fennell plays a big part in both ventures, but the recordings aren't about GBV - they're about Pollard and Sprout.

And what listeners get out of the recordings probably says more about them than either Pollard or Sprout. So, for what it's worth, while I think there is some real genius in Pollard's efforts, I find myself choosing to listen and re-listen to Sprout's infectious, pop-soaked musical collection.

Songs such as the catchy, drum-and-guitar-driven The Natural Alarm and the sweetly evocative I Didn't Know tickle my insides like soda tickles my nose.

Of course, it's not fair to compare the releases - you know, that apples-oranges (or beer-wine) thing - but the record company's marketing strategy makes comparisons difficult to avoid.

Pollard has remarkable melodic gifts that he couples with id-inspired rhymes and experimentally minded production values. You find yourself humming along to a song, caught in its catchy hook, and then you wonder, geez, what the heck is this about anyway? And you can't check the lyrics, because they aren't included. There's something subversive about being caught up like that, a quality I must admit I admire at the same time I dislike being the one subverted.

Sprout's songs don't raise so many questions. You know what you're singing along to, even though printed lyrics don't come with his CD either.

The interesting cover art gives both releases a professional veneer. Sprout's features two of his own super-realist paintings, one on the front and one on the back. Dayton residents may recognize the location of the latter painting: it's called Doors of Lazarus, and you can see Main Street reflected in their shiny glass.

It would make a nice conclusion to say that you can also hear Main Street reflected on the songs inside, but that's getting a bit too philosophical. Neither album should induce deep thought. Just listen and enjoy.