Selective Service is a collection of three limited-edition vinyl singles (all out of print) that were available via the Fading Captain Series label, an imprint devoted to the prolific output of
Robert Pollard (
Guided By Voices). First up is
GBV's live rendition of "Dayton, Ohio-19 Something and 5," a melancholic look back at the easygoing days of old that first appeared on the classic
Pollard/
Tobin Sprout team-up, Tonics and Twisted Chasers. The three home demo recordings that follow feature
Pollard alone with an acoustic guitar, and are easily the most intimate recordings he has released in years. Although this occurrence may cause the fanatical to salivate at the thought of
Bee Thousand-era lo-fi brilliance, there's just as much focus on his intricate plucking (who knew he was such a fine guitarist?) as there is on melody, with nary a chorus to be found. The two
Airport Five 45s include the best songs culled from the disappointing
Tower in the Fountain of Sparks (the immensely catchy tunes "Total Exposure" and "Stifled Man Casino), the first
Pollard/
Sprout collaboration since Tonics and Twisted Chasers. Both "Total Exposure" and one of its B-sides, "Cold War Water Sports," contain imagery of children at play (more longing for carefree times), while "The Wheel Hits the Path (Quite Soon)" possesses a quintessential
Pollard lyric, where the context is inconsequential ("like a hairspray party at the wind tunnel"). The remaining B-sides are largely forgettable ("Eskimo Clockwork" is a wordless number that features
Sprout banging away at the piano, and suffers from
Pollard's absence). The real jewel is the psychedelic "In the Brain," a previously unavailable track that betters most of the material found on
Tower in the Fountain of Sparks. ~ Bart Bealmear