 |
||||||
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| HARP
MAGAZINE, FEB 2005 DOUG
GILLARD To
any honest Guided By Voices fan, Doug Gillard was the real reason
why the band ever flirted with mainstream success. The lone GBV
member with real chops, Gillard made Robert Pollard's bedroom anthems
seem like plausible arena-rock. But Salamander, Gillard's solo debut,
surprises not just because Gillard plays all the instruments- and
does it well- but because his songwriting is as sharp. Gillard always
had an unorthodox sense of structure in Cobra Verde and GBV, something
like a classical rock Frank Black, full of unexpected left-turns
that made for an eminently rewarding listen. From the T-Rex chug
of "Going Back (To You)," to the brilliant Bacharach knockoff
in "(But) I See Something," Salamander easily stands as
one of the best guitar albums of the year. Gillard has not only
come out from Pollard's shadow with Salamander, he's created one
of his own.
|
