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From a Compound Eye winds up standing apart from the pack of Pollard projects even if it doesn't stand that far apart.
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The most fascinating Bob-project in years.
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UncutAs ever: endlessly clever, utterly inessential. [Feb 2006, p.81]
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From a Compound Eye sounds very similar to classic Guided by Voices.
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MojoHis sheer enthusiasm and peerless pop nous are enough to carry things along. [Jan 2006, p.124]
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Q MagazinePollard's ear for a pop hook remains unswerving. [Mar 2006, p.109]
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Under The RadarThe album is more a collage of ideas than anything else. But that is exactly what you would expect from Pollard. And just what you would want. [#12, p.92]
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What it lacks in instant appeal it makes up for on repeated listens as the hidden gems shine through, and whilst the different styles it adopts can make From A Compound Eye feel slightly untidy and overstocked on occasion, the ambition and craftsmanship present makes warming to it hard to resist.
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It doesn't sound substantially different from what Pollard has done before... but the record cycles through Pollard's disparate influences in songs as charged-up and fully realized as anything he's delivered in maybe a decade.
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SpinTwisted, quirky pop gems. [Feb 2006, p.86]
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Paste MagazineEntrenched fans will be pleased to have another wing to explore in his ever-expanding mansion of song. [Feb/Mar 2006, p.110]
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Entertainment WeeklyA lovable slog peppered with a few mini-classics. [27 Jan 2006, p.85]
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Alternative PressContains all the usual suspects: a few great songs, a few throwaways, a bunch of head-scratching song titles and indie rock's best take on the Who. [Mar 2006, p.124]
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What you will get with From A Compound Eye is your typical gourmet spread of Pollard delicacies from the modern eras of Bob.
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GBV fans should definitely check this one out – there's a lot to like.
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In both material and performance, From a Compound Eye quickly reveals itself to be classic Pollard.
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While Pollard's nothing if not prolific, if ever he needed an editor to cut some passages and refocus others, it's here on From a Compound Eye.
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BlenderAs double albums go, it's a hell of an EP. [Mar 2006, p.114]
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FaCE manages to be new, fresh and experimental while still retaining the listenability of much of Pollard’s seemingly never-ending canon.
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Billboard"Compound Eye" is difficult as a complete listen but works well in smaller chunks. [28 Jan 2006]
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Whether it’s the end of an era, the beginning of a new one, or just a lucky break in what looks to be a still-incessant deluge of output, From a Compound Eye bypasses the earlier seven LPs-plus released in his name to mark the emergence of Robert Pollard as a solo artist proper.
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That Eye is neither great nor terrible and often very good can be attributed to one part talent and two parts luck. But the fact remains that Pollard is far too willing to leave all the heavy lifting to the listeners.
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Unsurprisingly, the track list is all over the map, stylistically, technologically and qualitatively.
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An abundance of morose, meandering material in search of a hook.
User score distribution:
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Positive: 9 out of 10
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Mixed: 0 out of 10
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Negative: 1 out of 10
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aaronMay 5, 2006
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BrianMFeb 20, 2006
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JohnLFeb 20, 2006Created from cold corpse and surgeon...American Superdream Wow!