So, the big news these days is that Guided By Voices have left Matador Records. Apparently, their glossy new Ric Ocasek- produced album went way over budget, and Matador wasn't too thrilled about footing the bill. The album is presently being shopped, and one of the labels they're considering is... TVT! TVT? What's up with that? TVT's home to freaky industrial artists, early Nine Inch Nails and Dee Snider's Strangeland. Please tell me where Guided By Voices fit in there. Eh, regardless, I can't wait for the finished product. In the meantime, Bob Pollard's just issued Kid Marine, his third solo outing, on the micro- indie Rockathon Records.

As we all know, it doesn't take much effort to write a Robert Pollard song. In fact, I'll show you just how easy it is right this second, if you'll be my humble assistant and throw on an obscure Edgar Winter song in the background. Okay, now sing these lyrics over them: "Wacked revolution is mexican burnout/ Margarine selection will haunt you/ Mirrored globes in shivering quasars get thrilling/ The horror is electrical establishment/ Grapple in the stronghold/ The current undermines the weak/ Daring prosecution orders twelve more to the bar/ Grainmills crumble when you sing stormy madness." Now, repeat that, and then fade the song out. Congratulations! We've just sold a million records.

Ah, but there's more to it than that and we both know it. Pollard's somehow achieved the dream of every songwriter-- to churn out countless terrific melodies day in and day out, and to be recognized by the legions of indie rock fans as a legend in his own time. (And all this with just a beat- up four- track and a six pack.) The only explanation possible would be that old Bob's got talent-- unmistakable, exciting, raw talent. But on Kid Marine, some of his trademark magic seems to be fading. It's possible he hasn't got much time left in the spotlight.

Kid Marine's a Robert Pollard solo album, so it's a little more experimental (read: tossed off) than a formal Guided By Voices record. But as far as the established pattern of Pollard's records goes, it's the same as the others: there are a bunch of great songs alongside a bunch of duds. Some of the great songs on Kid Marine are the rock ballad "The Big Make-Over," the reverb- drenched "Living Upside Down," a nice, slow number called "Enjoy Jerusalem," and the closing epic (at least, epic for a Robert Pollard song) "Island Crimes."

Sadly, the duds on Kid Marine are, for the first time in Pollard's career, utterly abyssmal. "Submarine Teams" wouldn't be so bad if it didn't feature such a mind- numbingly awful vocal sample repeated to infinity, "Men Who Create Fright" is a throwaway experimentation with too many effects pedals, "Television Prison" is more torturous than almost any torture you can imagine, and "Powerblessing" sounds like it was recorded straight to walkman in a high school gymnasium. So, fellow Pollard fans, my advice is to use your judgement on this one. It might be in your best interest to hold off until the next Guided By Voices disc comes out. Hopefully, that one'll be better.

-Ryan Schreiber