Our Cubehouse Still Rocks

Personnel: Robert Pollard (vocals); Chris Slusarenko (guitar, keyboards); Jonathan Drews (keyboards, percussion); John Moen (drums, percussion).
Recording information: Last Of The Explorers, Portland, OR; Serious Business Music, New York, NY; Waterloo Sound, Brecksville, OH.
If Robert Pollard's project Boston Spaceships hit a snag after a strong start with their third album, 2009's Zero to 99, they're back to running full speed ahead on their fourth LP, 2010's Our Cubehouse Still Rocks. Once again partnered with John Moen of the Decemberists and Chris Slusarenko of the Takeovers and Sprinkler, Pollard easily conjures up the sound of classic-era Guided by Voices on Our Cubehouse Still Rocks, and if stylistically this music feels more like a look to the past than a bold step into the future, let's be honest -- which album are you more likely to listen to for pleasure, Bee Thousand or From a Compound Eye? At its best, this album sounds like Guided by Voices without the tape noise and the odd pointless tracks, and the strength of this album (and the bulk of the Boston Spaceships catalog) speaks to the reason Boston Spaceships stand out from Pollard's solo work. Pollard works best with sympathetic musicians willing to work up a sweat and act as a sounding board regarding which songs are working and which are not, and by all appearances that's what he has in Moen and Slusarenko, and as a consequence this has been a stronger vehicle than anything Pollard has given himself since the end of GBV (with the exception of his one-off collaboration with Tommy Keene, the Keene Brothers). With former GBV guitarist Doug Gillard and Sam Coomes of Quasi making guest appearances, Our Cubehouse Still Rocks has no shortage of guitar firepower, and with tough six-string snarl dominating much of the album, these 16 songs have more than enough rock & roll muscle to give shape and power to Pollard's pop-flavored melodies. It's this fusion of melody and power that makes Boston Spaceships a great vehicle for the kind of songs Pollard writes so well -- whatever sort of house this is, there's no arguing that it rocks, and pretty enthusiastically, too. ~ Mark Deming