It really seems like every other week Bob Pollard has a new record out,doesn't it? He has a myriad of bands to play with, he was an anxiouslabel in Rockathon, ready to release whatever he graces them with, andhe's on the cover of Magnet every other week, so Mr. Pollard does havea fan base to keep up with, it would seem. With a new Guided By Voicesrecord coming in June - the band are back on Matador this go around -Bob tides the fans over with this, his second effort with formerbandmate Tobin Sprout. Is is time to for Mr. Pollard to throw in thetowel with these side collaborations? Almost, by my estimation. Thistime around, Airport 5 are darker, grittier, and more lo-fi thanbefore. Bob seems intent on providing as many vocal tracks as possible,and that means double-tracking, doing his own background vocals, andbasically monopolizing the mike. Sprout's instrumentation is, asalways, acceptable and worthy of the treatment. But, again, this typeof collaboration seems to suffer by the lack of face-to-facecollaboration. Some of the vocal tracks are so rough, it'sembarrassing, but only given GBV's recent love of real recordingequipment - the vocals would be right at home on earlier releases bythe band. The lyrics are quirky, and, for the most part, Pollard doesnot over exert himself in order to hit notes he shouldn't. And thealbum is not without highlights, or, in this case, moments that work.'Yellow Wife No. 5' and 'I Can't Freeze Anymore' are among the bestsongs Pollard and Sprout have EVER recorded. But the album as a wholeis close to forgettable. And short. In short, if you're a GBV fan, thiswill serve to tide you over. If you're not, you won't be wowed orpushed away. (Is this what was meant by the rumor that Matador askedPollard to pair down the projects he worked on because they thoughthe'd clutter the marketplace with work that was not as polished as GBV,and buyers would have a problem knowing just what to buy?) - samples:
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