Boston Spaceships

And we Cleveland sports fans hope they transport the Red Sox, Patriots, and Celtics off the planet.

Be that as it may, Boston Spaceships is the name of Robert Pollard's new band, and Brown Submarine is the name of that new band's album. Pollard, of course, is the impetus behind the now defunct Guided by Voices, Dayton's best musical export. Hey, the Deal sisters (Pixies, Breeders) might argue, but that's my story, and I'm sticking with it. GBV was occasionally great and maddeningly inconsistent, and Pollard's solo career has been more consistent in a mostly forgettable kind of way, but this new band has me very encouraged. I really like what I'm hearing. Pollard sounds energized, and if the end results aren't that far removed from, say, Mag Earwhig! or Isolation Drills (i.e., good but not great GBV), then I'll take that. There are fourteen wildly eclectic two-minute power pop anthems here. Like all Pollard songs, if you don't like what you're hearing, you don't have to wait long to find something you do.

This is, I'm pretty sure, the fourth new Pollard effort I've heard in the past year. It's by far the best. It's out in early September.