Pollard, Robert

***ROBERT POLLARD has assembled a tour de force with Normal Happiness that will single-handedly reestablish the 2-minute pop song as one of the truly American art forms of this new century. When Pollard disbanded his legendary band, GUIDED BY VOICES, on New Year’s Eve 2004, he grabbed his new-found freedom under his own terms. Normal Happiness is the second solo release from Pollard on Merge Records inside of one calendar year. This man is a brilliant pop song waiting to happen. From A Compound Eye (MRG272 - January 2006) was sprawling with epic grandeur and scope, from punk to prog to pop. Normal Happiness on the other hand is concise and razor sharp, sixteen songs in just over 35 minutes, with brilliant melodies that will be stuck in your head for days. Initial orders (while supplies last) include a bonus live CD featuring Pollard and THE ASCENDED MASTERS recorded at the US Bank Arena in Cincinnati, June 24, 2006. CD ON SALE 10% UNTIL 10/24/2006