Man, these days it seems like Guided By Voices alumni are contractually obligated to cut crappy solo albums in-between proper GBV releases. Think about it-- it'd help pay for home studio equipment, bar brawls, motel damage, and all the damn beer. It'd also make the real GBV albums look a lot better in comparison.

You only think you've never heard of Doug Gillard. He's part of Cobra Verde, the indie rockers who gained notoriety backing up Robert Pollard on 1997's Guided By Voices album, Mag Earwhig!. Malamute Jute is Gillard's five- song attempt as a singer/ songwriter/ multi- instrumentalist. His saccharine voice and '70s, tender- pop approach are harmless enough, but his tunes lack any kind of punch. Needs more tequila and Tobasco sauce.

The choruses of "Malamute Jute," "Going Round" and "Western World" consist of monotonous repetitions of the song titles. "Livery," the EP's most straight- ahead rocker, only emphasizes the mediocrity in comparison to, say, GBV's "Bulldog Skin." Hey, someone must think pansy drivel like, "Flying backwards/ Taking back words that you said/ That you said/ That you said," is clever. Adrian Belew and Bernard Butler come to mind. Whatever the case, this EP's a drag.

-Zach Hammerman