''From a Compound Eye'' is the fifth solo studio album by American musician
Robert Pollard
Robert Ellsworth Pollard Jr. (born October 31, 1957) is an American singer and songwriter who is the leader and creative force behind indie rock group Guided by Voices. In addition to his work with Guided by Voices, he continues to have a prol ...
released in 2006. Though Pollard had already released several albums under his own name, this album, being the first released after the 2004 dissolution of his longtime vehicle
Guided by Voices, was considered to be the official commencement of his solo career.
For the album, Pollard drew on his backlog of unreleased material, as well as newly composed songs. Rather than record with the band setup typical of GbV recordings, Pollard recorded basic guitar and vocal tracks within a matter of days, and left instrumental work to be overdubbed almost entirely by collaborator
Todd Tobias
Todd Tobias (born 1967) is an American multi-instrumentalist and record producer, best known for his work with Robert Pollard and his band Guided by Voices. Other projects include Circus Devils, Kramies, The Library Is On Fire, and musical thea ...
who produced the last few GbV LPs. Clarifying the title, Pollard described the album as ''"Massive...Epic...it's all over the place and sees in all directions at once"''
It was the first Robert Pollard solo release to chart on any ''
Billboard
A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...
'' chart, peaking at #38 on the Heatseekers chart and #41 on the Top Independent Albums chart.
Track listing
# "Gold" – 3:02
# "Field Jacket Blues" – 1:49
# "Dancing Girls and Dancing Men" – 2:38
# "A Flowering Orphan" – 1:50
# "The Right Thing" – 4:36
# "U.S. Mustard Company" – 2:52
# "The Numbered Head" – 5:10
# "I'm a Widow" – 3:37
# "Fresh Threats, Salad Shooters and Zip Guns" – 1:51
# "Kick Me and Cancel" – 2:08
# "Other Dogs Remain" – 2:41
# "Kensington Cradle" – 1:52
# "Love Is Stronger Than Witchcraft" – 4:12
# "Hammer in Your Eyes" – 1:42
# "50 Year Old Baby" – 2:13
# "I Surround You Naked" – 2:41
# "Cock of the Rainbow" – 1:43
# "Conqueror of the Moon" – 5:04
# "Blessed in an Open Head" – 2:55
# "A Boy in Motion" – 1:37
# "Denied" - 2:39
# "Lightshow" – 2:29
# "I'm a Strong Lion" – 1:08
# "Payment for the Babies" – 2:03
# "Kingdom Without" – 2:29
# "Recovering" – 3:28
Critical reception
References
{{Authority control
2006 albums
Robert Pollard albums