From A Compound Eye is no less adventurous than any Guided By Voices album... 26 tracks in all. Pollard's seemingly stream-of-consciousness lyrical accumen is in fine working order here, as is his ability to make every song somehow memorable, hum-able, and anthemic. Songs like "Love Is Stronger Than Witchcraft", "Kick Me And Cancel", or "Flowering Orphan" (Pollard is also the absolute king of interesting song titles) all flourish amidst this dense musical atmosphere.

You certainly don't have to be a Guided By Voices fan to appreciate this Pollard solo album. For the uninitiated, this may actually be the perfect starting point for an exploration of one of America's singularly talented rock stylists.

Written by Dan Reed