Artist bio

Robert Pollard is principally known as the frontman and leader of indie rock juggernaut Guided By Voices. But his recording career extends beyond GBV, with a series of albums released eponymously and pseudonomysly fulfilling his extracurricular creative urge.

Pollard formed GBV in 1985, but it wasn't until 1996 when he took the step beyond with the Matador release of Not In My Airforce, accompanied on the same day by a solo album from fellow GBV songwriter Tobin Sprout. The aquatic-themed Waved Out followed in 1998, but it wasn't until the following year's Kid Marine when Pollard decided to subtitle it "No. 1 in the Fading Captain Series." And the rest was history.

If you dozed through your history classes, though, the short story is that Pollard has exploited the Fading Captain moniker in the years since, often releasing three or four albums a year -- plus assorted compilations -- on local Dayton, Ohio label Rockathon. The man is a rock and roll genius, although subpar songs are a matter of course. It's hard to sum his work up in a few scant paragraphs, so instead I offer a Fading Captain salute: Bottoms Up, You Fantastic Bastard!

Albums by this artist

From A Compound Eye (2006)

Zoom 7" (2005)

Relaxation of the Asshole (2005)

Music For Bubble EP (2005)

Motel of Fools (2003)

Choreographed Man Of War (2001)

Speak Kindly Of Your Local Volunteer Fire Department (Recommended) (1999)

Kid Marine (1999)

Waved Out (1998)

Not In My Airforce (1996)

Robert Pollard

Waved Out

» JOHN WENZEL | STAFF WRITER

Robert Pollard

Waved Out

Matador, 1998

RiYL: Guided By Voices, Gem, Tobin Sprout

Robert Pollard knows that consistency is important. As lead singer of indie-rock darlings Guided By Voices, Pollard writes more songs than you can shake a stick at. This would mean nothing if they weren't consistently good, but fortunately not only are they good, they're brilliant.

Waved Out, Pollard's second solo album, contains suggestions of Wire (the prog-influenced "Subspace Biographies"), The Beatles ("Showbiz Opera Walrus") and other varied British rock gods. However, Pollard has created a genre all his own with songs like "People Are Leaving" (with former Jim Greer squeeze Stephanie Sayers) and "Pick Seeds from My Skull."

Call it lo-fi indie-folk, space-pop, or whatever else you want; the result is a slew of beautiful, hummable melodies that stick to your brain like hot glue. The only misstep is the last track, "Second Step Next Language," which is about twice as long as it should have been (something you don't normally say about Pollard's tunes).

As always, the lyrics are experiments in Richard Brautigan-esque poetic surrealism. "Caught Waves Again" boasts the wonderful line, "Went up north to where the city lights shine / like strobes of aurora on bottles of wine." The laidback, feet-up style in which Pollard sings the line is irresistible.

Next to Not in My Airforce, Waved Out is Pollard's overall strongest solo album, darker and more concise than his usual whimsical songwriting, but just as satisfying. Granted, it's about as stylistically steady as a various artists disc, but the consistency of quality is astonishing.

JOHN WENZEL | John is a Denver-based writer and former editor of Sponic magazine. John currently works for The Denver Post and Rockpile and has contributed to such noble but non-paying enterprises as Shredding Paper, Aversion.com, and Erasing Clouds. He's obsessed with the Dayton, Ohio '90s music scene but likes to think he's keen on some of the new bands the kids are listening to these days. John also helps run the Friendly Psychics Music recording collective. Email.