Go Back Snowball
"Calling Zero"
(Fading Captain Series)

Mac MacCaughan (Superchunk) and Bob Pollard (Guided By Voices) bring us the latest release from Pollard's "Fading Captain Series", to which he has attributed the cryptic name/title "Go Back Snowball--Calling Zero". This is the collaboration that I (along with thousands of indie rock fans) have been dreaming of since the age of 14. Well, better late than never I guess!

The expectations with any such project are extremely great, and this collaboration lives up to every one of them. The story behind this goes as follows: Mac dreams up and records 12 instrumental tracks using various keyboards, guitars, and horns lying around his house, and mails the results to Bob. Bob proceeds to add lyrics, song titles, sing them, record them, package, press...and deliver.

And deliver it does. The soundscapes crafted by Mac on this record give the voice of Guided By Voices a whole new character. Ever hear Pollard sing with a brass backdrop? Now's your chance! For those expecting Mac Superchunk, this is Mac Portastatic. So the sounds are as varied as ever; some seeping through layers of static-y keyboard and guitar fuzz, and others based upon bouncy acoustic progressions. The result is the best Fading Captain release since "Choreographed Man of War", and easily the most engaging and interesting of all Pollard's port-Matador releases.

"Calling Zero" is the product of two pop whizzes, each with their own sensibilties. If you listen closely enough, you can hear Mac tailoring a phrase to suit Bob's vocal style, or Bob singing in a style you would expect to hear coming out of Mac's mouth. That is what makes this release truly outstanding-- each musician has incoporated the pop sensibility of the other, creating a truly new, collaborative sound. And, unlike Pollard's Fading Captain collaborations with Tobin Sprout, it is a sound we are not used to hearing.

-Karthik