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Detroit Free Press
By Terry Lawson, Free Press staff writer
Kid Marine
Robert Pollard
Rockathon/recordhead
Tobin Sprout
"Let's Welcome the Circus People" (Recordhead/Wigmam)
4 OUT OF 4 STARS
Robert Pollard
"Kid Marine" (Recordhead/Rockathon)
3 OUT OF 4 STARS
The dissembling of the original lineup of low-fi, psych-pop pioneers Guided by Voices
hasn't put a dent in its ever-prodigious output. While Robert Pollard, always considered
the guiding Voice, readies a new album with his new GBV band, he's issued his second solo
album within a year. And Tobin Sprout, who once played Harrison to Pollard's
Lennon-McCartney, has released his third, and best solo collection.
"Let's Welcome the Circus People," is pop songcraft on a mid-period Kinks or late-period XTC level. Though Sprout carries on the DIY tradition by recording in his home studio in Leland, there's nothing at all casual about either the songwriting or the performances on this 12-track song cycle, which musically melds the Holy Trinity of Byrds-Beatles-Beach Boys melodies with lyrics that would have early Michael Stipe scratching his head. This is a raw, lovely gem that reveals new pleasures with each visit.
Pollard, meanwhile, appears to fallen under the spell of "The Who Sell Out"; many of the 15 tracks on "Kid Marine" could pass for mid-'60s Pete Townshend demos -- which is a high compliment. Pollard employs a rhythm section of Greg Demos on bass and former Breeder Jim Macpherson on drums, and musically this record sounds more like GBV than the new, rockier, GBV. While many of the tracks still clock at about two minutes or less, they seem less fragmentary and more realized than much of Pollard's catalog, something of a relief to those of us who always wondered what he might have accomplished if he had only finished the songs. More info: Recordhead, 1521 W. 86th St., Indianapolis, In. 46260.