Jack Sells The Cow

Description

Even for a guy whose famously abundant output makes a joke of the word prolific, this has been a spectacularly productive year for Robert Pollard. Jack Sells The Cow is his second solo album in a year that has already seen the release of two reunited Guided By Voices records and will see yet a third before its done, along with a fair amount of touring. So what makes this a Robert Pollard record as opposed to a Guided By Voices record? The best answer is that its just a matter of nomenclature, but the absence of contributions from other members of the reunited GBV is probably the easiest way to put Jack in its box, if putting things into boxes is your thing. Im as true as true can be, Pollard sings on the pithy pop anthem Big Groceries, from which the album at least obliquely derives its title (in the sense that one verse, at least, seems to refer to the old English Jack and the Beanstalk folk-tale, or something like that), and much of Jack seems preoccupied with larger themes: Pontius Pilate Heart with judgment, Winter Comes To Those Who Pray with the faith/doubt schism, Big Groceries with objective vs. subjective truths, and on and on and over and out. At least, thats our reading. That reasonable people might disagree on the precise meaning of Pollards lyrics doesnt mean they make no sense, as those who take the trouble to handle with care will likely discover. And if not, hey, thats cool. The superabundance of melody and densely-packed stylistic swerves and flourishes on Jack rival anything hes recorded recently, and while five albums in a year might strike some as overkill, you have to imagine Pollards relentless output is a less than calculated move a smarter businessman would hold back product so as to build demand, but Robert Pollard has never been a businessman. Hes an artist, full stop, at a time when it seems that every artist/musician is expected to have an M.B.A. He puts out records because he likes the records (Bogq knows hes scrapped enough proposed albums to fill many another groups entire discography). And he hopes youll like them too. Jack Sells The Cow sails over the moon of your heart in a snappy thirty-two plus minutes, and despite its relatively heavy subject matter comes off as perhaps the sprightliest, most light-footed music Pollard has recorded this year. Of the quincunx of Bob-related releases this year, wed suggest you put this one in the center, and hold tight. These suckers move.