3/5
Second album this year from former Guided By Voices lynchpinRobert ‘Fading Captain Bob’ Pollard is sadly unlikely to eclipse GBV’s 1994 lo-fi masterpiece Bee Thousand, a crash course in 60s Brit Invasion songwriting, especially since most fans have drowned under the sheer weight of his releases thereafter. Normal Happiness delivers further effortlessly melodic guitar pop – ‘Rhoda Rhoda’ even recalls GBV anthem ‘Tractor Rape Chain ‘– but inevitably thwarts further crossover through its production values and occasionally straining vocals. As long as he offers inventive sunshine pop like ‘Boxing Apart’, however, his iconic status will remain deserved.
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