This parade of hooks and riffs, nevertheless, doesn't feel like enough anymore. Given his fecundity, Robert Pollard has always danced near to the edge of creative burnout. Though his output remains gloriously unattenuated even these days, I'm afraid to report a more tragic weariness on my own part. Certainly, the guy can write a charming pop melody, and has been manufacturing them for the last twenty years, but from this point forward it's going to take more to charm me. I guess I'm just sick of Robert Pollard.
Nothing on this album breaks new ground; a casual listen establishes that. It's the way From a Compound Eye fails to strike off for the unknown that frustrates me so much. "The U.S. Mustard Company" is fine, sure, but its riff was better used in "Chasing Heather Crazy" five years earlier. Even when Pollard dips back into his four-track roots on "The Right Thing," it sounds more like a throwaway early-nineties era GBV pastiche than a serious contender for the Track 5 position (even Pollard doesn't believe in his erstwhile, tinny roots enough these days to keep the track from ending in a glorious bloom of production values).
It seems that, more than anything, we're dealing with indie rock's Paul McCartney. Loved the original act, mate; really, I did. But now you're off on your own, and your prolific songwriting is turning into a liability. Your ability to manufacture hooks is rapidly turning into a parlor trick, and not a memorable one.
Normally, I'd be more forgiving. Isn't a cautious retread of earlier material par for the first-solo-release course? Well, yeah. For another record, I might simply conclude that fans of the original band will be heartened to have one last token to remember it by, while newcomers should look elsewhere. With From a Compound Eye, though, I can't say that — I was that fan, and I'm feeling profoundly disheartened.
Reviewed by Dan Ray
This review is also posted on The Modern Pea Pod.
Article comments
1 - Scott
I didn't think this would be too much different from any GBV release...guess I was right.
2 - Tom
This isn't Pollard's first solo album. It's just his first post-GBV solo album. Regardless, I'm anxiously awaiting the arrival of this album, but I too expect nothing else than typical Pollard. Regardless of what name he puts to it, Pollard's music is Pollard's music - he just finds another outlet for it when he needs it. I, for one, am fascinated by Pollard - the guy has to be one of the most consistent mass-producers of songs. I can't think of another artist that offers the fans as much music as he does that hits the target more often than not. What I love most is that he just puts it all out there and lets you decide which is best - because it's just as likely that what you love is what someone else doesn't.
Finding GBV and Pollard way late in the game, I fear I'll never catch up . . .