This is where they kick up a notch for me. Each album from here on out is worthwhile.
The lyrics are back on track, Bob is actually writing songs again and the band are ripping. My main gripe is that Bobās vocals could be better (like if theyād put 10 minutes more into āThe Disconnected Citizenā it could have been way better).
Free Agents is an all time pollard classic as well. The last 30 seconds are kind of the platonic ideal of a Pollard track
Yeah, Iāve never understood the love for this one. Itās an okay tune, but those vocals make it sound like some goofy Cash Rivers-parody thing 
I like the chord progression and the melody. The lyrics, for me, are Pollard on peak form. I really like when he does something totally abstract. And the way it resolves at the end on the ātaking you down thereā section is really beautiful imo.
But yeah I think the vocals let the song down pretty bad. Maybe itās a range thing as the verses start very low, but then the āchorusā is quite high.
Itās a permanent issue in the second reformation era. Like even the lo-fi stuff from the 90s clearly has so much thought put into the production (especially propeller), even if itās not to achieve a nice sounding recording.
TBH though this Tim Heidecker bit he does a Pollard impression which completely dismantles my defence of late stage GBV
Hahahaha. Love this so much.
I think itās just the process is different now. Basically, the lofi era just involved them making tapes and tapes of sketches, versions and alt. versions etc. and Bob would spend countless hours rejigging and messing around with what was recorded until finally it was time to say āThatās it! Those are the songs and the sequence!ā Nowadays, itās done a bit more conventionally where he does demos, sends them to the rest of the band, they record their bits, he goes and chucks the vocals on, then they put it out. Like, there isnāt that process of going through old tapes, noticing the charm certain tracks have, and then using those cuts.
I think we all have different ideas about where we think Bob is phoning it in. Haha! It might depend a bit on the various ways we are listening to stuff I guess.
I wouldnāt even say he phones it in, I think heās much more interested in making art quickly and getting his ideas out of his head. So his worl has a dashed off quality which can be amazing, or it can result in some pretty dismal work.
Or it can lead to something like āThe Disconnected Citizenā or āHow Can a Plum be Perfectedā where thereās a totally perfect, emotionally resonant track there, just covered up by a weird vocal performance.
The kind of ācasual geniusā part of Pollard is clearly why we BobHeads love him, and why heās been able to build such an enduring fanbase. So itās a bit odd of me to ācomplainā about it, but it is frustrating to think something could have been even better!
As a fully paid up member of the āplease do some more vocal takes Bobā club - I love The Disconnected Citizen and what heās doing on it. Makes it stand out in a good way, unusual is a positive at this stage of the GBV journey
Two of the standouts!
I just remembered - this was the album whereby Bob revisited a bunch of old discarded songs, wasnāt it? Iām pretty sure it was one of the 2021 releasesā¦?
If so that makes this album all the more impressive, if what we are hearing are essentially rejects from that slightly uneven 2012-2014 era being fleshed out & given a new lease of life.
I think so yeah, remember them marketing it as them repeating the Bee Thousand approach
Earth Man Blues!
2021 was a good year for GBV I reckon. I really loved the first Cub Scout Bowling Pins EP. And I think it serves as a good companion piece to Earth Man Blues. They, along with Clang Clang Ho, had a similar vibe ā and made for some decent tunes.
Made Man is a great opener. Love that snare sound. I think I read that due to covid they had to record all the drums in a parking lot ā which is pretty cool. The record sounds instantly great to me. The Disconnected Citizen is an altogether more intimate thing. Bob takes an almost baritone approach to the vocals through a massive delay. I love how he sounds here. And then the synth strings etc. give the track such majesty. Itās a real gem.
The Batman Sees The Ball is almost like modern GBV 101. It chugs along. Itās solid enough. I donāt think thereās enough of a hook in the riff for it to be repeated so much, but itās OK. Dirty Kids School is much more interesting. Has a 70s Bowie/Alice Cooper vibeā¦ sorta glam or something. And then changes it up. But it works. Again the production is spot on. Bob isnāt pushing his vox at all but I dig how everythingās balanced.
Trust Them Now is a solid single. It hurtles along but not in a particularly punky way. I guess youād put it in the Power Pop category with all the ooos and ahhs. I dig it. Lights Out In Memphis starts out with a pretty promising dusty, open riff, before dialing it down to a very minimal verse. Itās one of late-GBVās prog epics and it kinda works. The orchestral bits kind of save it but I want it to end after about 3:30, haha!
Free Agents gets things going again. A 2-minute almost hit featuring some fantastic lyrics: āNever been to heaven but Iāve heard good things alriiiiiiiiiiiiight!ā Beauty! Sunshine Girl Hello is more like a Cub Scouts track. Kind of a silly sixties thing. More ooos! Very listenable, if a bit throwaway. Wave Starter is cool. Kind of Frank Black-esque. A total blink-and-you-miss-it tune, but itās lovely perfect stuff. The frivolity returns with Ant Repellent. Itās silly. But enjoyable! Margaret Middle School is another one of those near-perfect, tight, album tunes Bob can do. It could be off of any of his albums. But itās great.
I Bet Hippy is back to a psychedelic acoustic thing. Itās got a nice ambience, but Iām not sold on it hook-wise. Itās more of an EP track or B-side quality for me. Not bad by any means. Test Pilot opens with a tight post-punk thing but it descends into something a little more turgid and run-of-the-mill somehow. It doesnāt outstay itās welcome though. How Can A Plumb Be Perfected is a curio. Again a bit Bowie-esque in vocal delivery but with a big reverb on it. If it actually was from the 60s or 70s itād probably be held up as something very interesting, but buried as the penultimate track here on GBVās seven billionth album itās sort of understandable that itās a bit overlooked. It leads into the closing track really nicely, though. Childs Play is great. Really tight. And a cool chorus, before some wild guitar work. Really cool closer, if a bit short!
So yeah, I love Earth Man Blues. It hangs together really well and balances the 4 Ps really well too. The relisten today reminds me of how frivolous a lot of it is. They have a lot of fun with some of these tracks and, although they donāt always land (The Batman Sees The Ball and the latter parts of Lights Out In Memphis), I quite like how playful they are on this record. Itās a goodun!
Onto Styles We Paid For
I initially put my name down to review this when it was coming out but didnāt get an advance copy and then just never got around to finishing writing it.
Hoped it might be another glorious return to form, but thought it more likely that it would be frustrating and annoying like Iād found Mirrored Aztec and much of the 2019 stuff. Had started forming the review narrative in my head on the latter basis and how they were still releasing too much dross and even covid wasnāt stopping them.
In the end, the album was, well, fine. Nothing to get too excited about but nothing to get annoyed about either. Relatively solid and likeable, if unexceptional.
Revisiting for the first time since then and have the same impression. Not much Iād necessarily revisit but a decent enough effort without being too wilfully obtuse.
Iāve given Earth Man Blues a couple more goes and yep, itās pretty good! Nothing exceptional, but a very reasonable step up from Styles which in itself was a big improvement on Mirrored Aztec. The band had built up a decent head of steam once again by 2021, it seems. Thisāll probably bag a 7/10 from me, I reckon.
Standout tracks:
Trust Them Now - probably about the one millionth anthemic rocker which Bob had penned by this point, but this is just sublime IMO and is another clear modern-era GBV classic. A wonderfully melodic, driving rocker with hooks for days. Love Bobās double-tracked vocals on here, too.
Sunshine Girl Hello - is Sunshine Boogie a thing? Because if so, this is it! Great sixties-flavoured pop ditty with a nice bluesy feel in places. Would love to hear the psych track which bookends the song, too.
Margaret Middle School - Iāve been a bit critical of Bobās vocals on a couple of EMB tunes elsewhere on the thread, so itās only fair I give him praise where itās due as well. This is one of his best vocal performances in a while, and really helps elevate this bouncy, fun little stomper to new heights.
The Batman Sees the Ball - love the tasty, nagging riff which winds it ways through this, plus those slightly eerie backing vocals which appear halfway through. A snappy, up-tempo highlight.
5/10 for me. One really good song in disconnected citizen, nothing terrible although Memphis should be half as long.
dig these earth blues maaaan
Donāt all vote at once, everybody! 
still figuring out this forum, had no idea weād move on.
EARTH MAN BLUES only two in 2021 for these slackers and - and probably about time too - this is a loose ārock operaā about a character called Harold.
Itās fucking boring. Like, itās not trying to be. Lots of the usual problems arenāt here - Pollard sings decently, the songs are completely written, the pompous aspect of rock operas are neatly sidestepped - it just has a total death of personality and originality. Who are these players? What are they bringing to this form that 1000s arenāt already? Itās so polite and clearly recorded via email - everything sounds out of the box and bland. First time my patience really was tested here and nearly jabbed it off. 3.5