Jane of the Waking Universe

Mag Earwhig! is full of epic songs that sound like epic songs: Robert Pollard's compositions are finally given the big-rock sound that many of us always secretly hoped for, despite the charms of the lo-fi past. Songs like "Jane of the Waking Universe" teeter on the edge between those two aesthetics. You can still hear what might have been had this been recorded on Tobin Sprout's four-track in Steve Wilbur's garage, a majestically tinny tune with tons of arena-rock promise. Instead, it is given some room to move; this is a spacious recording that allows the various guitar parts to remain distinct, while the drums are more propulsive, driving the entire song forward.

Yet a listen to this followed by something from, say, Isolation Drills, reveals this to still be somewhat lo-fi. There is no scorching Doug Gillard solo, no thunderous bass drum heartbeat or snare drum crack. It's as if, with Mag Earwhig! Pollard sought and found the happy medium, able to walk the fine line between past and future. He does so with some killer tunes. The hook on "Jane" is large, the verses and chorus instantly catchy. It's the kind of song seemingly built for the stage, but the band only performed it a couple dozen times on the tour in support of the album. The problem, it seems, is that there are too many great songs, particularly from the era that was coming to a close with this album, and it appears to have fallen through the cracks.