Has any artist had a run like Robert Pollard since he struck out on his own
with the launch of GBV Inc. in 2008? With the release of Moses on a Snail,
Pollard has put out an unbelievable twelve albums in a span of roughly two
years—and that’s not even including all the various EPs, singles and a (third)
box set of outtakes and unreleased tracks.
Moses on a Snail contains a dozen amazingly strong Pollard compositions.
Even for the ridiculously prolific songwriter, this was a notable writing
session as ten of the twelve songs were written in one sitting. As Pollard
describes the process, he started with a notebook of working song titles, and
penned 22 songs in a single afternoon’s creative burst. He discarded over
half, and ten songs were picked to later revise and flesh out. He made demos
to send to frequent producer / collaborator Todd Tobias, who recorded the
instruments before Pollard did his final vocals.
This batch of songs finds a somber, more reflective, yet ultimately triumphant
Pollard on such instant classics as “Arrows and Balloons,” “Each
Is Good in His Own House,” “It’s a Pleasure Being You” and the enormous
title track, which culminates in a dramatic (and atypical) minute-long guitar
lead to close the album. Elsewhere, the elegiac “Teardrop Paintballs” delivers
seriously heartbreaking melodies, and the (dare we call it) mellow “The
Weekly Crow” reminds us to mention that there will be a Pollard composition
on the forthcoming Glen Campbell album.
Clocking in at a concise 36 minutes, Moses on a Snail begs to be played
over and over again as it reveals itself more with each listen. It’s an album
that prompts the question: “What is Robert Pollard going to do next to top
this one?”
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