← more from
Fire Records
We’ve updated our Terms of Use to reflect our new entity name and address. You can review the changes here.
We’ve updated our Terms of Use. You can review the changes here.

Jack Sells The Cow

by Robert Pollard

supported by
caseybugbee
caseybugbee thumbnail
Christopher McGarvey
Christopher McGarvey thumbnail
paginationmusic
paginationmusic thumbnail
robert5000
robert5000 thumbnail
michaelneethling
michaelneethling thumbnail
David Grizzard
David Grizzard thumbnail
iivil
iivil thumbnail

  • Streaming + Download

    Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
    Purchasable with gift card

      £10 GBP

     

  • Compact Disc (CD) + Digital Album

    Includes unlimited streaming of Jack Sells The Cow via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
    ships out within 3 days
    Purchasable with gift card

      £10 GBP

     

  • Record/Vinyl + Digital Album

    Includes unlimited streaming of Jack Sells The Cow via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
    ships out within 3 days
    Purchasable with gift card

      £16 GBP

     

1.
Heaven Is A Gated Community 03:29
2.
Take In 02:14
3.
Who's Running My Ranch 03:29
4.
Up For All That 02:39
5.
Pontius Pilate Heart 03:29
6.
Big Groceries 02:04
7.
Fighting The Smoke 02:25
8.
The Rank Of A Nurse 02:41
9.
Tight But Normal Squeeze 02:39
10.
Red Rubber Army 02:05
11.
The March Of Merrillville 02:15
12.
Winter Comes To Those Who Pray 02:40

about

Even for a guy whose famously abundant output makes a joke of the word prolific, this has been a spectacularly prolific year for Robert Pollard. Jack Sells The Cow is his second solo album in a year that has already seen the release of two reunited Guided By Voices records and will see yet a third before it's done, along with a fair amount of touring.

So what makes this a Robert Pollard record as opposed to a Guided By Voices record? The best answer is that it's just a matter of nomenclature, but the absence of contributions from other members of the reunited GBV is probably the easiest way to put Jack in its box, if putting things into boxes is your thing.

"I'm as true as true can be," Pollard sings on the pithy pop anthem "Big Groceries," from which the album at least obliquely derives its title (in the sense that one verse, at least, seems to refer to the old English "Jack and the Beanstalk" folk-tale, or something like that), and much of Jack seems preoccupied with larger themes: "Pontius Pilate Heart" with judgment, "Winter Comes To Those Who Pray" with the faith/doubt schism, "Big Groceries" with objective vs. subjective truths, and on and on and over and out.

At least, that's our reading. That reasonable people might disagree on the precise meaning of Pollard's lyrics doesn't mean they make no sense, as those who take the trouble to handle with care will likely discover. And if not, hey, that's cool. The superabundance of melody and densely-packed stylistic swerves and flourishes on Jack rival anything he's recorded recently, and while five albums in a year might strike some as overkill, you have to imagine Pollard's relentless output is a less than calculated move - a smarter businessman would hold back product so as to build demand, but Robert Pollard has never been a businessman. He's an artist, full stop, at a time when it seems that every artist/musician is expected to have an M.B.A. He puts out records because he likes the records (Bogq knows he's scrapped enough proposed albums to fill many another group's entire discography). And he hopes you'll like them too.

Jack Sells The Cow sails over the moon of your heart in a snappy thirty-two plus minutes, and despite its relatively heavy subject matter comes off as perhaps the sprightliest, most light-footed music Pollard has recorded this year. Of the quincunx of Bob-related releases this year, we'd suggest you put this one in the centre, and hold tight. These suckers move.

credits

released September 17, 2012

license

all rights reserved

tags

about

Guided By Voices image

Guided By Voices Dayton, Ohio

Guided by Voices (often abbreviated as GBV) was an American indie rock band originating from Dayton, Ohio. Beginning with the band's formation in 1983 at the Northridge High School, it made frequent personnel changes but always maintained the presence of principal songwriter Robert Pollard. Guided by Voices initially disbanded in 2004. ... more

contact / help

Contact Guided By Voices

Streaming and
Download help

Redeem code

Report this album or account

If you like Jack Sells The Cow, you may also like:

Bandcamp Daily  your guide to the world of Bandcamp

On Bandcamp Radio

Saxophonist Isaiah Collier chats about his new LP and the influence of Pharoah Sanders.
listen now