My Impression Now

Over the course of half a dozen Circus Devils albums, Todd Tobias has proven that he can master just about any genre. He hasn’t tackled jazz yet, but damn near every other sound has graced a CD album. With “Pattern Girl,” he offers some radio-friendly post-grunge. From the opening riff, this sounds like a tamer [...]

Todd Tobias does his best Tex Avery on “New Boy,” creating a manic song that wouldn’t feel out of place as the soundtrack to one of Bugs Bunny’s cartoon romps. At one minute, it could easily stand on its own, but in Robert Pollard’s hands, it is elevated. Pollard finds the right melody and drives [...]

Robert Pollard has spoken many times about the lists of song titles he has created and the fact that he has often used those as inspiration for actual songs written to go with the better titles. “The Assassin’s Ballroom (Get Your Ass In)” feels like one of those songs. Lyrically, there isn’t much more going [...]

I usually associate Robert Pollard’s collaborations with Todd Tobias as noisy affairs. Tobias usually throws the kitchen sink into his song beds, leaving Pollard the challenge of finding a vein in which to lay his melody. Not with “Nicky Highpockets.” This quiet ballad sounds like something Pollard would have concocted on his own, with some [...]

Any garage band could offer a decent cover of “Love Hate Relationship with the Human Race.” Musically, that is. Vocally? Well, that’s another story. Todd Tobias offers a nice three-chord rocker with bite, and Robert Pollard, seemingly inspired, cranks out some modestly controlled misanthropy. Some young shouter could get the job done, but it takes [...]

Of all his various side projects, Robert Pollard seems to have the most fun with Circus Devils. There are no expectations, no pressures, just a chance to throw some things at the wall to see what sticks. That makes for some noisy, experimental and just plain strange music, but it also occasionally leads to a [...]