Brown Submarine

EMAIL PRINTby Boston Spaceships

8.5 User Score:

Generally favorable reviews

Based on 7 critic reviews
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Based on 2 votes
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Album Info

Label: Guided By Voices

Release Date: 16 September 2008

Discs: 1 disc

Genre(s): Rock, Indie

Summary

Guided by Voices' Robert Pollard and Chris Slusarenko and Decemberists' John Moen release their debut album as the Boston Spaceships.

Also On The Web: Official Artist Site

What The Critics Said

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

Mojo

The project pushes him into new and different directions, with beat band ballast ('Ate It Twice'), horn-laded soul ('Ready To Pop'), orchestral gloom (the title tracks) and pleasingly weird mini-epics ('Still In Rome'). [Oct 2008]

Magnet

Though I generally partake in the Kool-Aid, some of Pollard’s post-GBV stuff has admittedly either gone over my head or missed the sweet spot. Brown Submarine’s pleasures, however, are inarguable.

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Under The Radar

Shedding all the expectations that come with being a 50-something solo artist, you can sense Bob’s excitement in every jejune innuendo and Who-esque guitar riff. Mixing his longtime love of the incongruity of prog, the hooks of rock, and his unmistakable faux-English accent, both of the band’s records contain a brand of arena-sized rock perfectly tailored for dingy Midwestern bars. [Year End 2008]

Pitchfork

The faster stuff is pretty much in line with the key tracks from "Mag Earwhig!," and the lesser of the slow jams could very well be on any of the records after "Do the Collapse."

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PopMatters

There’s about 70% of a fantastic pop-rock album here, which these days is how Pollard rolls.

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All Music Guide

Teaming up with some fresh collaborators seems to have done Pollard a world of good after recording the bulk of his post-GBV work with Todd Tobias handling all the instruments; Moen and Slusarenko don't bring a striking level of chops to Brown Submarine, Boston Spaceships' debut album, but their work has an organic feel and a natural energy that helps these sessions sound like the work of a real band.

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Alternative Press

A scappy but lovable collection of power pop. [Oct 2008, p.152]

What Our Users Said

The average user rating for this album is 8.5 (out of 10) based on 2 User Votes

Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Edgar F. gave it a9:
This and the more recent Boston Spaceships album (not reviewed on Metacritic for some reason) collectively are the best Pollard-related music since GBV's "Isolation Drills," Lots of great reworkings of old Suitcase demos and some new classics here. Even if you've felt burnt before with Pollard releases, these are great entryways back into the fold.

Brian M gave it an8:
This is the best Pollard-related album since From A Compound Eye. "Go for the Exit" is the best Pollard tune in ages. This is a must have for GBV fans.

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Brown Submarine

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What The Critics Said

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