On The Tundra

Taken from "Propeller" 1992

"On the tundra
We went under
We're going under now
On the tundra
We went to vicious places
Of dark and punished faces
Couldn't shake it
Or outgrow it
??Swung hells?? get open now
Don't we know it
Cause with my second guessing
The subject for the testing

Chorus: Look over our blunders
Our two-fisted wonders
The foxy wildest monster dial is
More peaceful than a human hammer
The great ??king tam?? transmissionaries
Evolving without (about) you
Dissolving without you
As you know
It's just too slow on the tundra

And then one day
Maybe today
We'll justify the joke
Make it our day
And blow the total savings
To satisfy our cravings"

Classic chugging early Guided By Voices with the sort of catchy tune that Bob can churn out whilst having a crap. A brilliant song. Fuzzy and warm.

Teenage FBI

Taken from "Do The Collapse" 1999

"Someone tell me why
I do the things
That I don't want to do?

When you're around me
I'm somebody else

Someone tell my why
I act like a fool
When things don't go my way
And you're around me?
I'm somebody else

There is good reason I guess
Having it once gone to far
When you clean out the hive
Does it make you want to cry?
Are you still being followed
By the Teenage FBI
Someone tell me why"

A proper hit pop rock song from the mind of Robert Pollard. It just shows with a bit of production Bob can write a Top 10 from another Dimension hit. A great song and famous for its connections to Buffy The Vampire Slayer though never actually appearing on the show.

Do They Teach You The Chase?

Taken from "Demons & Painkillers" 2003

"Will the new suits replace me
I'm so worried you'll never see my face again
Cuz I can't stand the thought of not being involved
in you current disgrace
And at the oddlot do they teach you to chase?
And back at the factory will they laugh in my face
when they read all about it
The lacking racking slacking cracking
nagging bragging dragging etc..."

An almost gothy or Sisters of Mercy type sound to the instrumentation but then Bobs vocals lift the song with great wordplay "lacking racking slacking cracking". Another gem.

A Constant Strangle

Taken from "Moses On A Snail" 2010

Lyrics Unknown

Taken from "Moses On A Snail" and a song that sums up the album quite well. A slow to mid-tempo track with an almost lumbering sound. A really good song that sticks in your head.

Heaven's Gate

Taken from "Blues and Boogie Shoes" 2006

Lyrics Unknown

The mighty power pop that is Robert Pollard and Tommy Keene as Keene Brothers. Another anthem and always nice to hear synths in a Bobby P song. There will never be too much singing at Heaven's Gate.

Pressurized

Taken from "Completed Soundtrack For The Tropic Of Nipples" 2002

"yes, the fruits and spoils
of our good people
at peace with equality
vast
northern
neighborly
all the properties that call us home
from wherever our swollen feet
are mistreated
by uncompromising streets"

Like standing in the next room when a band is playing live. Fuzzy. Distored. Dulled. Antler are too weird for me.

Zero Fix

Taken from "Brown Submarine" 2008

Lyrics Unknown

Classic Boston Spaceships sound. Built to high kick and punch the air to and a driving almost punk rhythm. Great song from a great Pollard Project. Features the most inhuman scream ever recorded.

I Shot A Jezebel

Taken from "Suitcase 3", 2009

Lyrics Unknown

Has the feels of an improvised jam. Its always interesting to hear the early stages of the song writing process. Bob sings with a lot of passion on this one.

Sabotage

Taken from "Bigger Trouble" 2005

"I never ever hear you say
I remember when we used to love
You did me wrong, baby
I have you now
It's sabotage
You know it's the work I love

She tried to take me to her world
I don't know why you tell me now
If this is everything you loved
It's sabotage
Baby that's the worst kind of love

Well sabotage is a thing I've thought about
Your sabotage is a thing I want to know
I don't wanna see you
I just don't wanna see you baby

I have a lot of things to say
You don't want to tell me now
It's sabotage
I have a lot for you
It's sabotage
I gotta lot for you

You know what I'm talking about
You heard a lot of people talking about you baby
You heard a lot of people talking about you baby
Sabotage
Yeah that's sabotage

You told me lies baby
??? words are going round
It's happy when I'm up
You hurt me when I'm down
It's sabotage
We got a lot of words are going round

(Play that sad blues song good for me maestro)
(Blood curdling howl)
Ooh, sabotage, sabotage, sabotage, sabotage"

Mr Pollard dips his toe into the land of Blues. This is a moody lo-fi pieces that could have been recorded by anyone from an old Blue musician to Joe Cocker. An interesting direction.

Johnny Optimist

Taken from "Elephant Jokes" 2009

Lyrics Unknown

A modern Robert Pollard classic with a great guitar hook and hop about and kick the air vocals. You cannot help but smile when you hear this track. It has funny lyrics and is just basically a happy song. Great.

Bad Baby Blue

Taken from "Gringo" 2009

"Bad Baby Blue
We'll I've been lachrymose too
Bad baby blues
When it's not up to youse yeah
Bad Baby Blue
Got me talkin' to mountains
Bad Baby Blue

Ram your fists down through your ripped out rotten shirt
Back alive I'm feeling bad enough to kill
Spare the seasons of the winters in your soul
Name the reasons, please
And Bad Baby Blue here's to lookin' at you
Bad Baby Blue so very vile I'm with you
I found it so hard to listen to you
Bad Baby Blue you tell me what you laugh about
Bad Baby Blue you tell me when you cry

I wanna kiss my television when you're on
Count your angels in the suitcase of your heart
Angels sitting in your cafeteria mind
You're a bad baby"

Spooky. This track feels slow and discordant but with a punching Vocal. Circus Devils are there to mess with your ears.

Mag Earwig!

Taken from "Mag Earwig!" 1997

"Blessed is the way to a man's heart
Quite so even out of dreadlock
But the bastard of an ex-warhorse kicks
And I smiled like an electric child"

Bob does an impression of a Baby crying. Reminds me a lot of the classic Bee Thousand/Bushes/Lanes era. A fun 40 seconds.

Cool Off Kid Kilowatt

Taken from "Vampire On Titus" 1993

"Combustions, man--yeah, that's where we live
We're starving for the season
Jonesin' for a reason
Isn't it interesting? Isn't it odd?
Picked to finish last
I will speed my way past
Like a psychodrama, like a skeleton man"

Is one of the instruments on this song someone blowing onto the top of a beer bottle? I'm beginning to hear the early formations of Bee Thousand like melodies here.

After The Quake (Let's Bake A Cake)

Taken from "Suitcase 3" 2009

Lyrics Unknown

A stream of consciousness jingly jangly acoustic number with some crazy lyrics. Funny stuff.