Robert Pollard News

There are some people in life that you just wish would go away - George W. Bush, Donald Rumsfeld, Carrot Top, C. Thomas Howell, etc. Similarly, there are those people who mysteriously disappear that you wish would come back, like Jeff Mangum or Snow. Then, of course, there's Bob Pollard, who, god-willing, will never leave us. Thankfully, he shows no signs of ever doing so.

As you likely know, Bob's second official (and fifth actual) album of 2006, Normal Happiness, is set for an October 10th release date on Merge Records. Like From A Compound Eye, all instruments are played by Bob and Todd Tobias. Bob's website has the tracklisting:

Accidental Texas Who
Whispering Whip
Supernatural Car Lover
Boxing About
Serious Bird Woman (You Turn Me On)
Get A Faceful
Towers And Landslides
I Feel Gone Again
Gasoline Ragtime
Rhoda Rhoda
Give Up The Grape
Pegasus Glue Factory
Top Of My Game
Tomorrow Will Not Be Another Day
Join the Eagles
Full Sun (Dig the Slowness)

If this weren't enough, now comes news from Rich Turiel on the Strong Lions mailing list that:

(1) Two one week tours will follow the release of Normal Happiness, one in October and one in November, with The Ascended Masters (Tommy Keene, Jon Wurster, et al) as his band again.

(2) Side-project Psycho and the Birds will soon be releasing an EP entitled Check Your Zoo.

(3) AND, amazingly, Bob has already finished his next album, i.e., the followup to Normal Happiness, and he'll be playing songs from that album on the fall tours.

Personally, I'm hoping Rich is leaving something out, because I'm not sure that seven releases in one year is enough.