Worried that Robert Pollard's solo career would limit his prolificacy? That's just silly. Proof comes in the form of three new mp3s from three Pollard side projects, all three collaborations. There is "Death of the Party" from the Keene Brothers, his collaboration with power pop hero and FaCE tour guitarist Tommy Keene; "Fairly Blacking Out" from the Takeovers, his collaboration with late-period GBV bassist Chris Slusarenko; and "Hello Forever" from Psycho and the Birds, his latest collaboration with GBV and FaCE producer Todd Tobias.

The Keene Brothers - "Death of the Party"
The Takeovers - "Fairly Blacking Out"
Psycho and the Birds - "Hello Forever"

The first two are much like Pollard's projects with Tobin Sprout in Airport 5 and Superchunk's Mac McCaughn in Go Back Snowball -- the other party provides the music while Pollard cooks up lyrics and melodies. The Keene Brothers track is poppy, as expected, while the Takeovers track is more raw.

The Psycho and the Birds project, according to an interview I did with Pollard, is "stuff that I had recorded that I didn't use for various album projects because I thought either they were too weird or liked the way that they were as they were." Pollard took those tapes, which were essentially demos cut with acoustic guitar, and had Tobias layer things on top to create the finished work. The result is not unlike other Pollard-Tobias collaborations, or rather their song-based, non Circus Devils work.

The discs all are expected in May. The Keene Brothers will be Blues and Boogies Shoes, the Takeovers will be Turn to Red, and the Psycho and the Birds disc will be called All That is Holy. Looks like May is going to be a bank-buster for we the weak-willed Pollard collectors of the world.