Pitchfork

Robert Pollard is, as we all know, a man with the Midas touch. Dude need only lay a finger upon a blank CD-R and-- presto!-- new album in the can. And not surprisingly, Mr. Pollard has been getting his magic fingers all over the place of late, which means we can expect two new Pollard-centric releases in the early '08.

"But wait!" you say. "Did Mr. Robert Pollard not just hit us with two simultaneous releases via the respected Merge imprint?" And indeed he did. But those, my friend, are so last month.

This month (um, November) is all about anticipating Pollard's upcoming Chicago show, while the next (that would be December) is reserved for experiencing and reminiscing about the guy's gig in Newport, Kentucky (and his art show, but we'll get to that).

Which leaves January wide open for the release of the next Pollard LP, Superman Was a Rocker. Due the 29th of that month from Bob's Happy Jack Rock Records (also responsible for that singles series), Superman finds Dayton, Ohio's own crime-fighter from another planet festooning a bunch of instrumentals he's been hoarding over the years with vocals. Old pals Tobin Sprout, Jimmy Pollard (pal and brother to Bob), Doug Gillard, Mitch Mitchell, Nate Farley, Kevin Fennell, and Kevin March all pop up on this release.

February 26, then, has the same label offering up We've Moved by Psycho and the Birds, Pollard's collaboration with Guided by Voices producer Todd Tobias.

And the Pollard touch doesn't stop at music, mind you. Also a master of that kindergarten art-making staple, the collage, Pollard will soon display some of his best work in the medium at a New York City gallery. "Do the Collage" runs at Studio Dante-- co-owned by Michael Imperioli of "The Sopranos" fame-- December 9-10 and features over 50 of Pollard's renderings in cut-outs and glue.

What's more, Pollard's cleverly juxtaposed clippings-- some of which have served as cover art for his myriad releases over the years-- will be collected in the book Town of Mirrors: The Reassembled Imagery of Robert Pollard, due from Fantagraphics in 2008.

Superman Was a Rocker:

01 Another Man's Blood
02 Go Down First
03 Back to the Farm
04 Substitute Heaven
05 Prince Alphabet
06 You Drove the Snake Crazy
07 Surveillance
08 Fascination Attempt
09 Love Your Spaceman
10 Jumping
11 St. Leroy
12 Peacock
13 More Hot Dogs Please

We've Moved:

01 Person Who Lives in a Thundercloud
02 Rains Remain
03 I Love a Revolution
04 Enon Beach
05 Franklin's Famous Graham Cracker Crust
06 Tomorrow Man
07 Corona Grande
08 She Tears Out
09 Love Theory
10 Hound Has the Advantage
11 Poor Old Pine
12 I'm Never Gonna Leave, You're Never Gonna Win
13 Hybertech Green
14 Sharp Apples
15 We've Moved

Gig out:

11-30 Chicago, IL - Metro
12-01 Newport, KY - Southgate House