Howdy and welcome to my store!

One of the things we love about Bob Pollard -- besides the fact that he's a mad songwriting genius and one of the best frontmen in the history of rock -- is that his output is reliably unpredictable. And I don't just mean in the, "Will he be dead of an alcohol-induced brain hemorrhage by age 60?" sense. I mean that just when you're ready to write off one of his half-assed, shat-out side projects, he returns with something subtly stunning, reassuring you that he's still got the talent and skills to exceed (or at least match) your high expectations.

"Dr. Fuji and Henry Charleston (Zoom Variation)" kicks off the EP on a whimsical, instrumental note, introducing a melodic line Pollard later reprises in the title track. Doug Gillard's light touch and effortless, intuitive guitar playing help this otherwise standard snippet succeed. "Have a Day Mr. Clay" drops maracas and rusty acoustic strumming onto Pollard's double-tracked vocals and belted-out lyrics. An obscure minute of mini-cassette-taped conversation rounds out the tune before "Catherine from Mid-October" slides into earshot. The ascending acoustic chords and Pollard's minor-major tradeoffs build to a satisfying climax.

Finally, and most enjoyably, is the bouncy title track. With sentiments that waver between touching and depressing, Pollard opines, "White skin and bone/ love is all alone/ baby, you should know," over a thin beat, strummed electric guitar and minimal bass thumps. While reminiscent of Cat Stevens' "If You Want to Sing Out, Sing Out," the song cuts its own melodic path, presenting Pollard's naked emotion more starkly than any song since GBV's "The Brides Have Hit Glass."

Short, focused and immensely gratifying, Zoom adds another punctuation mark to the long story of Pollard's unlikely career as an indie rock hero. If you gave a f**k about GBV, you need this EP.

Record Condition: This record is brand new and unplayed!

Check out my other auctions for tons of other great items and save on shipping (only $2 shipping for each additional 7", CD or DVD!).