The second release from ex-Guided By Voices member inside a calendar year. Pollard has assembled a tour de force that will single-handedly re-establish the 2-minute pop song as one of the truly American art forms of thi... more »s new century. Sixteen songs in just over 35 minutes, with brilliant melodies that'll be stuck in your head for days.« less
The second release from ex-Guided By Voices member inside a calendar year. Pollard has assembled a tour de force that will single-handedly re-establish the 2-minute pop song as one of the truly American art forms of this new century. Sixteen songs in just over 35 minutes, with brilliant melodies that'll be stuck in your head for days.
G. Preston | Baltimore, MD United States | 10/17/2006
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This and "From A Compound Eye" clearly represent a new beginning for Mr. Pollard. The end of Guided By Voices was not merely symbolic and this is definitely not just "more of the same." Pollard has finally integrated his pop and prog impulses into a cohesive new approach, and the results sound simply incredible! By prog, I only mean more complex song structures, but somehow his incredible pop sense and interesting lyrics always redeem the songs before they can become just complexity for it's own sake. The songs take many twists and turns but there's always a memorable chorus in there. Best songs? "Towers and Landslides", "Give Up the Grape", "Rhoda Rhoda", "Get A Faceful" and several others. I'll even go out on a limb and say that these first two are among the best songs he's ever written. Lyrics are strong as always, and somehow seem to be simultaneously more abstract and topical than normal. For instance, the strangely titled "Pegasus Glue Factory" contains the line "his doomed ship apocalypse dissolved in his hands; of twenty thousand rivers of oil slicks and blood" which can easily be deciphered in light of an earlier line, "I hide myself in dream from Howdy Doody's terrorist regime"! Not making any political statements here, just saying there are some deeper messages (as always) lurking beneath the surface.
As an overall listening experience, I think this is the best Pollard release since "Speak Kindly of Your Volunteer Fire Dept." If you're not a super fan, you may not agree with all of this praise and the five star rating, but I honestly think this is one of the best albums Pollard has ever assembled. The last one was great, but this is even better!
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Pollard's most consistent offering
Steve Curtis | Topeka, Kansas United States | 12/26/2006
(4 out of 5 stars)
"I was initially disappointed my first couple of listens through this CD. But, I kept coming back to it because of "Boxing About" and 'Pegasus Glue Factory." Now, I can't stop listening. Just a wonderful set of tunes! Give it some time and perhaps you, too, will find this to be most satisfying!"
Subtly impressive
Brian Conley | Hebron, KY USA | 11/07/2006
(4 out of 5 stars)
"This album full of "pop songs" has precious few recognizable choruses and one of Bob's most understated vocal performances on record. What it does have is a meandering, complex style that is as likely to baffle as to entertain. Underneath the whirl of bizarre chord changes there are some really great songs."
Time for a mid-life crisis
Stargrazer | deep in the heart of Michigan | 10/16/2006
(3 out of 5 stars)
"Armed with a back catalog of almost numbing scope, Pollard continues to churn out songs as if his life depended on it. Though not as immediately gripping as this spring's From A Compound Eye, Normal Happiness has its share of great tunes like "Supernatural Car Lover." Unfortunately, the album doesn't seem to really hit its stride until the outro of the last track.
Though there has been a slow shift from scratchy lo-fi to hi-fi guitar heroics, when considered in microcosm Pollard's work could benefit from a more varied approach. On its own, Normal Happiness stands up quite well as a rock album. When considered alongside Pollard's umpteen other solo albums, Guided By Voices albums, and the Fading Captain series however, Normal Happiness blurs and disappears. Even longtime fans will find themselves not caring anymore what he is saying, as his "cryptic" lyricism has long since lost its novelty on all but the uninitiated. If you like Robert Pollard, get this album safe in the knowledge of what you're getting -- more of the same. For all its strengths, it is a bit of a letdown though: because they are the exact same strengths displayed on all his recordings. This unfortunately reduces Normal Happiness to facile water-treading for Pollard."
Normal Happiness
D Mack | 10/11/2006
(5 out of 5 stars)
"The second release in a calender year, and it's better than the first! If you are a newcomer to Robert Pollard, I'd suggest this or Speak Kindly Of Your Volunteer Fire Department. Also out there from Merge/Luna is Moon. Live from mostly FaCE, it is probably the best live cd ever."