Customer Reviews

Our Cubehouse Still Rocks

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Equal parts Who(era-Sell out) and the best Guided by voices songs combine to make up 'Our Cubehouse Still Rocks', the best Record of the year,hands down. Besides a 2 minute screw up with a ditty called 'British and the French' which is just bad, the record does not falter except for that song, but it's conveniantly hidden in the middle. Favorite Song on the record is 'Dunkirk is Frozen' which sounds like a fantastic outtake from 'Under the bushes' and 'Bombadine', the song The Who should have wrote and placed on their 'Sell out' record. Other classics include 'Cmon baby Grace' which comes off as GBV's Bulldog Skin meshed with Cheap Trick. Wild stuff here. For those who are not familiar with this band, it is somewhat of a supergroup. The lead singer is Robert Pollard of GBV fame and numerous other bands, and Sluserenko who is a fine musician who used to be in a Subpop band 'Sprinkler', then a band called 'Svelt' who were also amazing. Rounding them out is a guy from The Decemberists. Please everybody, take my word. You need this record. You will not regret it.

this record has its highs and lows, but never approaches some of bob's best work. that being said, anything bob produces is better than 80% of the junk out there. why, oh why, does this have the lamest cover i've seen in many a day? if you are interested in the boston spaceships i'd stick with 0-99 and brown submarine.

Uncle Bob continues to churn out catchy brit-pop-rock at an astonishing rate. This offering is no exception. Our Cubehouse Still Rocks is a grand album that will stand the test of time along side the previous Boston Spaceships works. As vague as this may be, I will state that, in my opinion, Robert Pollard has reached his prime and his best is here and now. Fortunate as we are, John Moen and Chris Slusarenko are along for the ride. Are you a fan of Bob's previous works? If so, get this album! You will not be disappointed.

Typically GBV..... My favorite song on this album has to be Airwaves and In The Bathroom (Up Half the Night). The clever melodies with raw power of rhythm and beat redefines Bob Pollard, How old is he now? I can't help but to keep picking up more of his albums, it seems to get better and better with age. I'll be listening to his material until I'm old and grey as he is.

This is the record all the GBV fans have been looking forward for years and is his most easily likable record after first listen. I'm still not sure if this tops Zero to 99 but it sure is tasty. This is the most Who flavored recording Bob's done and it is great. "Track Star" is a tune even the Who would envy; Townsend was a sad figure at the SB half time show flailing about on his guitar with the soft white underbelly peeking through. Bob is the real deal! This is a rapturous listen from start to finish with nary a bad song in the bunch. The variations on this one really hold your interest with obvious influences but all BS. "I See You Coming" builds to a crashing finish, "Airwaves" all Ziggy'ed out, "Bombadine" a great rocker, "Dunkirk is Frozen" another fistpumper. The final tune is just tremendous with a great riff and time signature changes. Big Ups to John Moen who once again shows he can bash some skins with force and finesse. Bob makes me rock like a teenager!

Any fan of Pollard and company knows that this is gold. The man keeps on singing his damn heart out and those who get it understand that there will be some experimentation, and there will be some unbelievably awesome moments of musical genius...no matter the collaboration of talent the man remains one of the most interesting and prolific artists alive in the music industry today. Just let him go and reap the rewards of being clued in enough to enjoy it.

All the Boston Spaceships releases are excellent, but Our Cubehouse Still Rocks might get my vote for the best of the bunch so far. It somehow feels like a classic album that's been around for years, but you've just now gotten around to listening to it. Robert Pollard's strongly melodic songwriting continues to draw from the usual punk, prog and British invasion sources but remains original enough to avoid coming off as mere pastiche. (Although one song, "Bombadine," does sound so much like Tommy-era Who -- right down to an exceedingly Daltreyesque vocal, that specific way he sounded in the late 60s -- that it's almost funny.) Pollard's well into middle age now, and, to his credit, he's not afraid to joke about it in a few of the songs here: The line "As we get old we need devices/what a crisis" from "Stunted," and the title of "In the Bathroom (Up Half the Night)" says it all. The paradox is that the latter song in particular rocks with wild, youthful abandon.

There isn't a single weak track here, and, as is often the case with Pollard releases, the sequencing and pacing is brilliant. "Track Star" is a terrific opener, a real blast of adrenalin. "John the Dwarf Wants to Become an Angel" is a killer pop tune, reminiscent of the classic GBV track "Echoes Myron." "Airwaves" is Pollard crossed with early 70s Bowie. "Come on Baby Grace" is an exhilarating pop-punk tune that features a guest appearance from Doug Gillard on guitar. It's just one good-to-great track after another for a solid 42 minutes. As usual with Boston Spaceships, the recording quality leans toward mid-fi, but the dynamics are great, so when the band kicks in after a quiet passage, they kick in LOUD and forcefully, which I love.

In short, the Pollard magic is still in full force after all these years, and Chris Slusarenko and John Moen are more than able collaborators. This a great rock and roll record, simple as that.

All Guided by Voices reunion tour talk aside, this is the stuff you want. Keep an eye on this Bob and his Boston Spaceships. This record is better than anything on the charts, and especially the college charts. WTF is everyone?!