ROBERT POLLARD
COAST TO COAST CARPET OF LOVE
MERGE

ROBERT POLLARD
STANDARD GARGOYLE DECISIONS
MERGE

SPIN
BY SHANNON ZIMMERMAN

With more than a dozen solo albums -- not to mention the entire Guided By Voices oeuvre and assorted side projects (Circus Devils, Acid Ranch, Keene Brothers, et al.) -- Robert Pollard has had serious quality-control issues. But the 33 tracks on this pair of discs are uniformly excellent. Best bets: the lacerating "The Killers", which connects the dots between Thin Lizzy and XTC, and the hypnotic folk rock of "Miles Under the Skin". Propelled by a goose-bump-inducing chorus, the latter is a good argument for Pollard to soon open Springsteen's next tour.