It’s often difficult to disassociate canonical artists from the bands that they left or dissolved.   Has anyone ever written about Frank Black without referring to him as “ex-Pixies front man” or reviewed a Morrisey solo record without mentioning Meat is Murder and gladioli?  (On a far less cool note, don’t try to tell me that there’s a single George Michael song better than “Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go.”)  Happily, the genius of Ohio’s own Robert Pollard reaches far beyond Guided By Voices; his work with Boston Spaceships stands on it’s own.  If you’re one of the unlucky souls who’s never heard Bee Thousand, you’ll still love The Planets are Blasted.  It rocks without any regard for Mr. Pollard’s storied lineage.

Pollard’s long been regarded as both prolific and chameleonic; Boston Spaceships put out a well-received album a mere five moths ago, he released an album under his own name in January and there’s  a Circus Devils album set to drop in April.  Dude’s been busy.  Boston Spaceships are Pollard, handling the vocals and song-writing, Chris Slusarenko on guitars and bass and John Moen, of Decemberists fame, on drums.  Moen and Slusarenko are both top-notch.  Slusarenko’s bass-line in “UFO Love Letters” is a nice blast of semi-funk on a rock record and Moen’s energetic work keeps things solidly anchored throughout.  Pollard’s distinctive vocals are a treat across the record; he’s got a broad emotional range, moving from world-weary cajoling in the rocking opener “Canned Food Demons” to plaintive yearning in songs like “Lake of Fire” with an array of tones in between.

While there’s diversity on the record, the songs all work within set parameters; this is clearly a rock record, but the songs draw on different traditions and genres.  The result is an engaging topography, where songs are unique but recognizably similar.  “Big O Gets and Earful” relies on dark power chords and almost chanted vocals.  The next track on the album, “Catherine From Mid October,” incorporates some acoustic guitar and an almost lilting lyrical delivery.  This is a familiar sensation for long-time Pollard fans; his ability to write top-notch rock songs of many different stripes is one of his finest qualities.

The lyrics are consistently intriguing; there’s a lot of stuff that seems impenetrable, but the more accessible lyrics are often head-turners.  It’s the rare rock band that can get away with high-falutin’ verbiage like “I repudiate thee, thou venomous harpy.”  Boston Spaceships totally pull that one off, however, in the rocking stomper “Keep Me Down.”  It probably works because the song is direct and punchy with the exception of that line.  There’s a wailing guitar solo in the middle of the track and the big chords and incessant drumming wouldn’t be out of place on a classic rock station.  There are lots of other lines to love here.  When Pollard sings, “you supply my mind with pollution,” on “Dorothy’s a Planet,” it’s about halfway between admonition and celebration, which is pretty bad-ass.

There are songs on the album that sneak up on the listener a bit.  “Tattoo Mission,” the song that stands out as the one I can’t stop listening to, features a string trio and dueling guitar solo that both come out of nowhere.  Embarrassingly, the first time I listened, when the strings kicked in, I was startled, thinking Mrs. Citizen was blasting another song in another room.  It’s that element of surprise that makes this an album to come back to.  Once I wrapped my brain around those strings in “Tattoo Mission,” it became clear that they’re completely perfect.  When Kevin listened to the song, he described it as “the cat’s ass.”  I’m fairly certain that that’s a ringing endorsement.  It’s a song that’s worth the price of admission, a highlight amongst a slew of other great songs.  Boston Spaceships throw some curveballs, but they’re all over the plate.

We have a bit of an imagined personal connection to Robert Pollard here at citizendick.  It’s fairly well known that Mr. Pollard taught the fourth grade before Guided by Voices took off.  Both Kevin and I work in public education as well.  I acknowledge that we’re not creating anything here, merely commenting on the work of others, but the idea, embodied by Mr. Pollard, that one can pursue dreams outside of the workaday world is a powerful one.  I love my day job, but it’s cool to think that I can work beyond those constraints if I want to.  The new Boston Spaceships record is worth your time for a lot of reasons.  Primarily, it is awesome.  On a completely different note, it, and the broader work of Robert Pollard, inspires.