English Little League

English Little League

Robert Pollard isn't going to edit himself; we know that. So it's up to his fans to do it themselves. 2013's English Little League is the fourth album by the reunited mid-'90s version of Guided by Voices in about a year. (A fifth one is planned for release before year's end.) Clearly, not even a prolific middle-age prodigy like Pollard can make clean contact this often. However, debating the merits of his relentless output is a sport of its own, and fans agreeing to disagreeing comes with the territory. Listeners have been noticing Tobin Sprout's contributions as well; here they include his Robyn Hitchcock–like "Islands (She Talks in Rainbows)" and acoustic Nikki Sudden–esque "The Sudden Death of Epstein's Ways." These are sweet, measured counterpoints to Pollard's brazen, slap-in-the-face pop songs, which can either nail it down ("Crybaby 4-Star Hotel") or linger in lo-fi purgatory ("A Burning Glass"). Pollard and Sprout put together the lovely "Noble Insect" and the enjoyably psychedelic "Birds." There's still plenty of gold in these hills. Just sift carefully.

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