Robert Pollard: Lord Of The Birdcage

Robert Pollard
Lord Of The Birdcage
Guided By Voices Inc. [2011]









Fire Note Says: Robert Pollard's streak of sonic consistency continues on his fourth 2011 release Lord Of The Birdcage!

Album Review:
If you are counting, Lord Of The Birdcage is the fourth release from Robert Pollard in 2011 and his second solo outing. Of course, if you are one of the faithful then this is not news to you and honestly you would not want it any other way.

Pollard's critics constantly dismiss his prolific output and nag that he never actually finishes his thoughts and leaves songs incomplete. To those critics - behold Lord Of The Birdcage, as Pollard has completely reversed his songwriting process here and transformed 12 previously written poems into songs. Knowing this, automatically draws you to his lyrics, as they represent some of his most cohesive pieces to date while still delivering a final product that is his typically high standard of melodic rock. This style also drives song lengths, as almost half of the tracks cross the 3 minute mark, which you know is considered epic for Pollard.

Musically there is a nice balance on Lord Of The Birdcage with rockers like "Smashed Middle Finger" and "You Sold Me Quickly", strolling tempo's spotlighted on "You Can't Challenge Forward Progress" and the thought provoking power ballad "In A Circle" that highlights his soaring vocals. Basically the concept here makes for a great story but Lord Of The Birdcage succeeds for very simple reasons - Robert Pollard is completely focused on his art, he always knows how to rock and Bob can write a hook be it in song or poem!

Key Tracks: "Smashed Middle Finger", "Silence Before Violence", "In A Circle"

Bands With Similar Fire:
Pete Townsend
Bill Fox
Eddie Vedder

Various Artists: Sing For Your Meat: A Tribute To Guided By Voices [Fire Note Review 4/15/11]
Mars Classroom: The New Theory Of Everything [Fire Note Review 3/23/11]
Lifeguards: Waving At Astronauts [Fire Note Review 2/9/11]
Robert Pollard: Space City Kicks: [Fire Note Review 1/12/11]
Guided By Voices: Live In Daytron ?6˚ [Fire Note Review 1/10/11]
Robert Pollard: Moses On A Snail [Fire Note Review 6/14/10]
Robert Pollard: We All Got Out Of The Army [Fire Note Review 2/10/10]
Robert Pollard: Silk Rotor 7" [Fire Note Review 2/10/10]
Robert Pollard: Elephant Jokes [Fire Note Review 8/6/09]
Robert Pollard: The Crawling Distance [Fire Note Review 1/16/09]
Robert Pollard: The Butler Stands For All Of Us 7" [Fire Note Review 11/11/08]
Robert Pollard: Robert Pollard Is Off To Business [Fire Note Review 6/16/08]
Robert Pollard: Superman Was A Rocker [Fire Note Review 2/12/08]
Robert Pollard: Coast To Coast/Gargoyle [Fire Note Review 10/16/07]
Robert Pollard: Silverfish Trivia EP [Fire Note Review 4/23/07]
Robert Pollard: Normal Happiness [Fire Note Review 10/12/06]
Robert Pollard: From A Compound Eye [Fire Note Review 4/19/06]

Robert Pollard Website
Robert Pollard MySpace
Robert Pollard Facebook
Guided By Voices Inc. Records

-Reviewed by Christopher Anthony