Much of
Robert Pollard's recorded output of 2008 suggested the man was going to slow down and focus on quality control rather than cranking out as much product as possible, which seemed to be his modus operandi during the first few years of his post-
Guided by Voices career. But
The Planets Are Blasted, the second album from his group
Boston Spaceships, has emerged a mere six months after their debut,
Brown Submarine, so it seems the man is back in prolific mode. But
Pollard also has a pair of worthwhile collaborators in
John Moen (of
the Decemberists) and
Chris Slusarenko (of
Sprinkler and
the Takeovers), and though
Boston Spaceships' sonic identity clearly comes from
Pollard's songwriting,
The Planets Are Blasted is every bit as satisfying as the band's debut, and at its best this hits the same giddy melodic heights as
GBV's golden era but with a grander sense of scale and drama. Songs like
"Queen of Stormy Weather" and
"Canned Food Demons" could pass for classic-era
GBV in dim light, but most of these tunes carry more muscle and heft than
Pollard's usual miniature
pop constructs, and
Moen and
Slusarenko (along with a handful of guests, including ex-
GBV guitarist
Greg Demos and fellow
Decemberist Chris Funk) give this music the aural grandeur of the '70s
arena rock and
prog rock Pollard clearly loves without its crippling pretension or pomposity.
"UFO Love Letters" and
"Keep Me Down" nearly beat
the Who at their own game, and
"Headache Revolution" offers a vague notion of what
King Crimson might have been like if they were any fun. And
The Planets Are Blasted is that rare
Pollard project that leaves you wanting more -- the 14 songs here each sound complete and fully realized, and at under 35 minutes, this set doesn't run out of ideas before it draws to a close. (
Pollard sings up a storm, too.) So maybe
Robert Pollard didn't need a different work ethic -- he just needed a good band in his corner, and
Boston Spaceships is helping to reestablish him as one of the most satisfying talents in
indie rock. ~ Mark Deming
