Return of the Eight-Legged Groove Machine

The Wonder Stuff
"Construction for the Modern Vidiot"
Second Release: 2005

The Wonder Stuff’s musical concoction of majestic guitars and sneering New Wave sensibilities topped with lyrical wit should have propelled the group into the lap of pop royalty.

For nearly a decade the formula worked as the Stourbridge, England, natives became indie-media darlings at home, starting with 1988’s Eight Legged Groove Machine.

With a reputation for performing invigorating live shows led by singer Miles Hunt, The Wonder Stuff ultimately succeeded in crafting four albums that matched the energy of its live-stage persona.

But any plans for music domination went askew as The Wonder Stuff only managed marginal success on the pop charts. U.S. audiences were simply indifferent all together.

It sure didn’t help the band followed an unremarkable period of little direction after Groove Machine —covering Tommy Roe’s Dizzy with comedian Vic Reeves comes to mind— before the band crumbled in 1994 after the release of the underwhelming Construction For The Modern Idiot.

Following a six-year break, The Wonder Stuff reformed for a series of live shows, and its return was gloriously captured in Construction for the Modern Vidiot, a collection culling performances from 2000 to 2002 at the Forum and the Longest Day and Fleadh festivals.

In the liner notes, Hunt, whose bravado remained unchanged, wrote:

“It took us six years of not writing together, not playing together and not recording together to finally realise (sic) what was so (expletive) good about The Wonder Stuff,” he wrote in the liner notes. “We were a fantastic live band. Simple as that.”

The live footage is expertly captured and dynamically filmed with the popular choices included in this re-released DVD which made its official U.S. debut in 2005. The songs flow seamlessly from the bounce of “Who Wants to Be a Disco King” to Martin Bell’s fiddle push of “Ten Trenches Deep” to a revved-up version of John Lennon’s “Gimmie Some Truth.”

The DVD also showcases the band’s maturation from a guitar-based outfit singing about cartoon boyfriends and circle squares to one reveling in the steadfast instrumental additions of mandolins and violins.

Lyrically, Hunt moved from bratty lines (”I didn’t like you very much when I met you/And now I like you even less” from “Unbearable”) to mature heart stompers (”there are no words to illustrate/a marijuana trip away/confided all I had to say/only to watch it drift away” from “Storm Drain”).

All of which point out that Hunt and company still operate in a separate phylum from their peers. The Wonder Stuff didn’t aim to write national working-class anthems like Pulp, and the quintet didn’t have the identity and humor issues afflicting Radiohead. And they still don’t.

All that Construction for the Modern Vidiot proves is this fact: The Wonder Stuff is simply a group of cheeky buggers who forge ahead crafting silly pop songs — a feat few do better. Welcome Back.

DVD Extras:

• Interviews
• Band Biography
• Behind the Scenes Footage

Robert Pollard in North Carolina

Cat's Cradle
Carrboro, North Carolina
Jan. 27, 2006

http://tinyurl.com/eqpq3

During the Guided By Voices 2004 farewell tour stop in Carrboro, N.C., singer and founder Robert Pollard resembled a weary soul only director Wim Wenders could love.

He looked disheveled and sounded more like a curmudgeon than a renowned pop master. Maybe 21 years fronting a stalwart indie-rock act and celebrating the joys of cigarettes and alcohol onstage wore Pollard down.

About 13 months later, however, Pollard reemerged energized to promote his first solo album since he dismantled the band. From a Compound Eye is chock-full of the rock and psychedelia Pollard's fans have celebrated for years.

On the tour's second show, the songs were brilliantly articulated by Pollard's all-star backing band. They motored equally through the album cuts and Pollard's back catalog of zany pop goodness with zest. Jason Narducy (Verbow) on bass and Jon Wurster (Superchunk) behind the drum kit deftly propelled the diverse material with aplomb and Dave Phillips (Frank Black) on rhythm guitar guided the music with added dimension and character.

The real star turn came from songwriter and guitarist Tommy Keene who, like R.E.M.'s Mike Mills, reveled in his versatility. Keene moved from lead guitar to backing vocals to keyboard all night and even played a harmonica on "Gold."

The night pointed to an evolution of Pollard's live show. Whereas Guided By Voices placed a premium on mischievous merrymaking and relished the spontaneity of the drunken moment, Keene and company dismissed any onstage antics for technical proficiency.

"Is it OK if we mellow out?" Pollard asked the crowd. "See Guided By Voices didn't mellow out. We kept hammering (the music) down your throats like a bunch of amateurs."

During the nearly three-hour concert, texture and touch was in order.

"Conqueror of the Moon" moved with Dr. Who-style atmosphere before it veered into spy-movie theme theatrics. An organ undercurrent supported the guitar-jangle of "Lightshow."

The set list drew heavily from the new album and offered sprinkles from some of Pollard's more recent side projects including "Dolphins of Color" from Circus Devils: Five and "All Men are Freezing" from Steven Soderbergh's latest film, Bubble.

The prolific Pollard also unveiled songs from his next album, Normal Happiness, a ridiculously poppy affair including the lollipop-sweet "Supernatural Car Lover" which sounded like the stepson of Earthquake Glue's "My Kind of Solider."

The consummate showman, Pollard visually delighted the crowd with a torrid series of axe kicks, salutes and microphone twirls. The encore focused solely on Guided By Voices songs, with the more recent cuts ("Fair Touching," "Things I Will Keep" and "Back to the Lake") pushed to the forefront.

The fans who remained on their feet for almost the entire 150-minute show relished it all. As the end drew near, a group of college-aged men in front of the stage sprayed the band with Pabst Blue Ribbon during "Game of Pricks."

As the band ambled backward, Pollard stood still and continued to sing. The words he spoke earlier in the evening must have rung true: "This rock and roll shit is all that it's cracked up to be."

Classic Stage Banter From Robert Pollard

In a live setting, Robert Pollard remains a surly but charming character with an affinity for drinking too much as he alternates between swills of tequila and gulps of Miller Lite.

His drunken banters are often expletive-filled but always highly entertaining--concert attendees can purchase a vinyl-only collection of his previous rants.

Here are some gems from the concert:

• "I like the Monkees. (Guided By Voices) were a pre-fabricated band, but I ain't prefabricated, motherfuckers."

• "I'm not trying to play up alcohol, but my label Merge Records won't let me. How do you market a 48-year-old drunk? I understand their pain."

• "It ain't Guided By Voices. It's not GBV. It's the new shit. And if you drink with us, we support ya."

• "I'll introduce (the band) when I can't remember their names."

• "I drink 80 beers to keep in shape. On my day off I drink 40."

Bob Mould: Solo/Acoustic

Cat's Cradle
Carrboro, N.C.
March 27, 2006

With a voice that rumbles then explodes like a cartoon bomb, Bob Mould conducts a seminar on clenched-face intensity unlike anyone else.

So it was refreshing to see the former Hüsker Dü and Sugar front man banter with the crowd—-a rare sight--during his mostly solo acoustic show. When Mould spoke of adding 2,000 miles onto a rented Mercury Grand Marquis for the last few tour dates he surmised, "It's a bit of work, but it sure beats pimping."

Energized and free from any album promotion demands, Mould gleefully pared down the overproduced gloss of the recorded originals. In doing so, he offered a first-half blast of the familiar---"Wishing Well," "See a Little Light" and "Hardly Getting Over It"—--all acoustically rugged. He even dropped in the b-side from his Sugar days, "Needle Hits E," the catchiest song in his canon.

About six songs into the nearly two-hour set, Mould slowed the tempo and focused on exploring the quiet, moody side of his work. With "Panama City Motel" and a new song, Mould crafted low-key vibes from a catalog that spans more than 25 years.

"I'm feeling a bit laid back so don't mind me," he said.

After he softened the audience, most of whom sat on folding chairs, Mould plugged in his Fender Stratocaster and offered fuzz-drenched reworkings of "Your Favorite Thing" and "Celebrated Summer." The amplifiers crackled as he bellowed, "My circle of friends is shrinking" from "Circles."

Quite a feat considering a year of touring and exertion has weathered Mould's voice. But he cut loose anyway. When he finished the restrained ballad, "High Fidelity," he said," I was trying to see if I could play that any quieter."

He smiled.

"Nope."