Send "Robert Pollard " Ringtones to your Cell 
| Popmatters |
 If you’ve been keeping an eye on Robert Pollard as of late, you know a few things. First, you know he’s not slowing down his level of production, so monumental that “prolific” really isn’t an adequate adjective. Secondly, you know his level of consistently great pop records has a reached a level not seen since Guided by Voices were at their peak. And last but not least, you know that he’s got the “classic” line-up of Guided By Voices back together and out on the road.Space City Kicks asks of you to keep all of these things in mind. For one, it falls more into the oddball side of Pollard’s pop mind, leaving behind the more straightforward yet lush pop of his last effort, Moses on a Snail, for something that actually does bear a closer resemblance to early Guided by Voices. Last year’s excellent We All Got Out of the Army was similarly all over the place but still felt very much like present-day Pollard. This album, however, announces its stranger intentions pretty quickly. The sharp edges and psychedelic tromp of “Mr. Fantastic Must Die” is a jarring intro, and though it leads to the more head-on crunch of the title track, Pollard delivers those words in a sleepy hush that is sort of troubling, so that the song never really feels like it’s a easy a rocker as it presents itself to be. It becomes clear early on that we’re not getting one of those “traditional” pop records from Pollard. This is him tapping into his Alien Lanes brain, which is plenty fitting for where he’s at in his career....full text |
| Spin |
| Defying logic, the famously productive Robert Pollard is getting even more prolific with age. One of five Pollard-related releases slated over a ten-month stretch (plus a Guided by Voices reunion tour), Space City Kicks offers a hodgepodge of brilliant guitar pop and annoying, unfinished throwaways, but this time the former ("I Wanna Be Your Man in the Moon") easily overshadows the latter ("Children Ships"). Now, it would only be fair if Pollard revealed the location of the fountain of youth he's been frequenting....full text |
| Noripcord |
| This is Robert Pollard at his bombastic best. His 2010 outings tended to hint at being moderately over-wrought, but Space City Kicks feels like a genuine return to form. The man’s best albums are always scattershot adventures, and his latest is no exception. This, the latest in a long line of releases, typifies the Pollard experience — you'll find 18 expected-length tracks packed with guitars and some brilliant — if sometimes half-baked — ideas. It’s as catchy as you like: Robert Pollard’s always shown a penchant for crafting earworms, and Space City Kicks is up there with some of his best. Sure, it’s not a second Bee Thousand or Alien Lanes, but it’s inimitable top-shelf indie rock all the same. And as you'd expect, not every track comes off as well as it could, but when it's the 137th album (or something like that) from the veritable king of short-form indie rock, it's hard to complain. Space City Kicks is the first post-GBV-reunion-tour album (his two from 2010 were released before the October tour,) and it seems a revitalized Pollard has made his way to the fore as a result. He’s got that infamous verve and swagger in droves, and there’s no hiding it now. Space City Kicks isn't cavernous in depth, it's not overtly brave, and it's not a turning point toward new horizons for Mr. Pollard. It’s not like it needs to be: Robert Pollard is revered in indie circles, and he doesn't need to do much to maintain that. There are plenty of ideas flitted about in the usually careless manner of the GBV maestro, but they're disposed of in such a timely fashion that it's hard to tell which moves are serious and which are mere flights of fancy....full text |
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