Tobin Sprout: Carnival Boy

In a year that saw Kiss reapplying greasepaint, it's surprising that more bands haven't paid homage by releasing simultaneous solo albums such as these twin releases by Guided by Voices members Robert Pollard and Tobin Sprout. Fans of the group will find no real surprises here, and that's not at all a bad thing. Pollard's disc consists of the amusingly titled ("Girl Named Captain," "Prom's Coming") bittersweet genius-pop that GBV followers have come to expect. As with any Pollard project, there are more ideas than a single album can support, but when the hit-or-miss approach works, it works extremely well. If either album is a revelation, it's Sprout's. While not a departure, the longer form allows Sprout a freedom his limited, and increasingly excellent, contributions to GBV have not provided. Sprout may not have the avian ambition of Pollard, but his lower-key album compensates with a consistent tunefulness that lends itself to repeat listenings. With the dissolution of GBV now a possibility—remember, you read it here first—it's good to hear both potentially full-time solo artists working at the top of their form.