Boston Spaceships: Our Cubehouse Still Rocks

     I decided to tackle Robert Pollard's non-GbV material by starting with my favorite album, Boston Spaceships' Our Cubehouse Still Rocks. And, indeed, it does rock. Boston Spaceships were a side project which also included Chris Slusarenko (GbV) and John Moen (Decemberists' drummer). Leave it to Pollard to name a band after an iconic 70's rock album cover. When I was in middle school, I used to draw the spaceship from Boston's debut album on all my notebooks. Anyhow, Boston Spaceships started out promisingly with their first cd Brown Submarine, but regressed on their next couple albums. When Cubehouse came out I was on the fence about buying it, but my completist nature kicked in. I'm glad it did, because this is one of Pollard's most solid efforts ever. There are 16 songs, no fragments and only a couple tracks that I'd classify as turds (Trick of the Telekinetic Newlyweds and The British and the French).
     Cubehouse is guitar heavy and it starts right off with the opening track "Track Star". It probably should've been titled "Bet He Runs" because he sings that lyric dozens of times, including the Daltrey-esque conclusion to the song. The vocals are especially strong and he has a classic line "he runs from the clowns and he's wearin' 'em out". The next track, "John The Dwarf Wants To Become An Angel" is classic GbV, power pop goodness. Great melody, awesome hooks and chiming guitars! They bring down the tempo, but not the power, on the next track "I See You Coming". The lyrics are very repetitive, but it's still a good song. "Fly Away" is a British Invasion inspired rocker with crazy lyrics like "rat fink kangaroo" and "like a dogfish in sunshine". It doesn't really matter what it means though, it just sounds awesome. "Saints Don't Lie" is a straight-up mother of a guitar rocker. It's also Pollard's strongest vocal effort on the album. "Unshaven Bird" is a slow burner with some great guitar feedback. The next track, "Come On Baby Grace" is the strongest track on the album and features Doug Gillard on guitar. And personally, I like the line " I saw a moon that was coated in ice in the Motor City". I like to think he came up with that line when I saw him at St. Andrews. "Freedom Rings" is a good homage to 70's metal, but it just makes me think of freedom fries. If "Bombadine" had been released in the late 60's it would be a classic track that still gets gets played today. "Airwaves" is my second favorite song on Cubehouse. It's an instant handclap classic, inspired by glam era Bowie. "Dunkirk Is Frozen Again" begins with Pollard dicking around with an acoustic guitar, then explodes into a high velocity rocker. "King Green Stamp" is another track that is classic GbV (could've been on Propeller). The album is wrapped up nicely by "In The Bathroom (Up 1/2 The Night). I don't want to know what it's about, but it rocks.
     If my kids are intimidated by the daunting task that is my Pollard collection, they at least have to listen to Cubehouse. In fact, here are the Pollard must listens. Peace.

* Our Cubehouse Still Rocks
* Keene Brothers- Blues and Boogie Shoes (with Tommy Keene)
* Speak Kindly of Your Volunteer Fire Department (with Doug Gillard)
* Not In My Airforce
* From A Compound Eye
* Crickets- Best of the Fading Captain Series 1999-2007