Girl From the Sun/ Do the Collapse

Cue up "Do the Collapse" from the Hold on Hope EP and you'll probably think the same thing I did: wow, this is a great rocker that ought to have lyrics. Had I spent more time with Tonics and Twisted Chasers at that point, I'd know it did, under the name "Girl From the Sun." There are differences, of course, chief among them the blistering guitar solo from Doug Gillard on "Do the Collapse." But the monstrous guitar riff that drives the song is exactly the same. Who knew Tobin Sprout had it in him?

A strong vocal hook would elevate this to the pantheon of great Guided by Voices riff rock, joined by "Postal Blowfish," "Watch Me Jumpstart," "Shocker in Gloomtown" and "Big School." Not that this version is bad. It has a decent hook and fine lyrics (any song with a couplet like "people who live in glass houses should get stoned, like the girl from the sun and me" can't be bad), but that guitar riff is so heavy that it seems to cry out for something stronger.

Perhaps that's why, when finally deciding to give the song wider release (as wide as an EP can be considered, that is), he decided to strip the vocals away and let that riff stand alone. As an instrumental, there is little wrong with the song. It's clear Pollard attempted to do something with the track vocally, but maybe his instincts were right -- a riff this strong has gotta have room to breathe.

Interest Position

"Interest Position" may be the least-compelling track on the Hold on Hope EP, though that's really no slight. Song for song, this short disc in support of Robert Pollard's clearest stab at commercial success is probably Guided by Voices strongest release. Most people point to the Bee Thousand-Alien Lanes era as Pollard's strongest period; I would cite Under the Bushes, Under the Stars and Mag Earwig as the true high point. But no matter your thoughts about the presentation and production on the band's big label debut, Do the Collapse, it's hard to argue that the songs aren't among the strongest of Pollard's career. That he could offer a nine-song EP with eight LP castoffs that are this good is testament to the fact that he was firing on all cylinders here.

"Interest Position" is a fine song. But compared to the other winners on this EP, it comes up just short. Musically it's fairly bland, the song truly carried by Pollard's inventive melody conveyed with a double-tracked vocal.

Lyrically there is little to latch onto. In fact, the best thing may be the short opening riff and Doug Gillard's slightly unhinged solo that closes the track.

A Crick Uphill

What a perfect B side. It's hard with Robert Pollard's catalog to categorize something as quirky, but at the point the Hold on Hope EP was released, Guided by Voices had a very polished, muscular sound. As such, there wasn't really a place for an odd little ditty like "A Crick Uphill" on Do the Collapse. On an EP, however, it was a perfect fit.

The song is a constantly escalating trip through Pollard's psyche. It begins with a jaunty acoustic guitar as Pollard begins tripping through absurdity: "Pike fly mighty, every thing tries to
In the uphill crick," he sings. As the song progresses, instruments join that initial guitar, beefing up the sound and bringing a sense of urgency to the proceedings. A snare drum comes in first, followed by a loping bass. At this point, the song still sounds like something a busking trio might perform on a street corner. Pollard begins to throw some weight behind his vocals now, singing "Give me strength, blow some life into me Jesus, yeah" with conviction.

The second verse finds an electric guitar adding some color, eventually sounding like a lick from some lost Gene Clark nugget. The "blow some life into me" line again brings an escalation, the electric guitar now offering full-on chords that bathe the song in rock glory. The snare gives way to a full kit, the cymbal crashes and bass drum kicks giving the beat full form. By this point, lacking only a bit of Ric Ocasek-ordained studio polish, the song sounds like something from Do the Collapse. As if sensing that he had massaged this slight tune into a juggernaut worthy of the GBV imprimatur, Pollard brings things to a close with a simple, "You're okay."

Tropical Robots

Sometimes the brevity of Robert Pollard's songs seems borne of a lack of focus or a lack of time as other, newer ideas push old ones aside. Fans rarely complain about short songs that end after a verse and a chorus; Pollard gets the job done and moves on. But some songs simply don't need to be any longer than they are. They aren't missing second or third verses or a bridge. They are what they are, and they're perfect.

That's the case with "Tropical Robots," one of the B-sides that populates the Hold on Hope EP -- pound for pound perhaps one of Guided by Voices' strongest releases. At just 51 seconds, the song barely gets started before it's over, and yet I can't think of a thing to add to it. The lyrics, in total:

Oh, tropical robots
When you come of age you'll reach the sun
And when you go away you won't come back no more.
Alabama policeman, let them go on their way
Don't spoil their fun
Cause when they go away they won't come back no more.

Who knows what he's talking about, and who cares. Over what one assumes is either Pollard himself or Doug Gillard playing a charming acoustic guitar part, Pollard sings that short verse, offering one of his most compelling melodies.