Factory of Raw Essentials

When I have criticized seemingly slight songs here in the past, commenters have pointed out that the songs in question, no matter how seemingly unsubstantial, often act as a valuable bridge between other tracks, or simply help the flow of an album side. Tracks on Alien Lanes, in particular, see such arguments raised in their defense.

"Factory of Raw Essentials" would seem to be similar. Taken on its own, there isn't much to the song. It's a pleasant acoustic guitar-based tune that finds Robert Pollard singing something that sounds like a page ripped from one of his Eat collections of verse, a handful of lines that don't fit the music especially well. Unwilling to ever throw anything away, Pollard likely came up with a little guitar line, had Doug Gillard flesh it out, and then found some lyrics that fit well enough to roll tape.

But taken as part of the Universal Truths and Cycles album as a whole, it works rather well. It is sandwiched between two of the heaviest tracks on the album -- "Stormfront Vibrations," which is a slow-building rocker, and "Everywhere With Helicopter," a jarring blast of angular rock. Back to back, those songs would clash; with "Factory of Raw Essentials" as a bridge, they don't compete so directly and both are stronger for it.