The very idea of a
Robert Pollard solo album is a bit bizarre, considering that he is the sole artistic force in
Guided by Voices and is able to explore all of his ideas within that context. That, of course, doesn't make his solo records any less enjoyable -- it's just a little puzzling why he feels the need to bother distinguishing them from
GbV albums -- especially since past and present members of the group appear on his records. Also,
Pollard solo albums suffer from the
GbV raggedness that is initially appealing but ultimately frustrating -- it's hard to pay attention once the endless, fragmented, British Invasion-inspired tunes begin to pile up.
Waved Out suffers from all these flaws, but it also has fleeting moments of inspiration.
Pollard did try to make the album into something different, loosely following an ambiguous "wave" concept, but the end result is the same as any
GbV album -- equal parts of gems and dross, and only the dedicated will want to bother sorting out which is which. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine