Kid Marine

Personnel: Robert Pollard (vocals, guitar, keyboards); Kim Pollard (vocals); Lord Lanternhead (violin); Tobin Sprout (piano); Greg Demos (bass); Jim McPherson (drums); Huff Winka (percussion); Jim Pollard (sound effects).
Coming on the heels of Pollard's Matador release WAVED OUT and preceding a high-profile, Ric Ocasek- produced Guided by Voices album, KID MARINE might seem like a rush job by Luna Records to cash in on the Robert Pollard bandwagon. In fact, that's not the case at all. From the opening vocal layering of "Submarine Teams" it's clear that Pollard is back in familiar lo-fi territory. It is also apparent, as the lead vocals and crunching guitars commence, that the production values (or lack thereof) only enhance the mood of the proceedings.
Songs such as "Men Who Create Fright," "Far Out Crops," and "White Gloves Come Off" will no doubt be looked back upon with as much reverence as anything Pollard has ever written when--and if--he ever decides to step out of the rock & roll game. There's a haunting quality that creeps into KID MARINE that Pollard has hinted at previously, but never fully developed into a unifying sonic concept as he does here. One hopes that the album's subtitle "#1 in the Fading Captain Series," is not just an inside joke and that the captain will return very soon.