Not that there’s anything wrong with Robert Pollard’s solo LPs, but his band-centric collaborations seem to invigorate him, and working with guitarist Nick Mitchell, drummer Kevin March and bassist Todd Tobias under the Ricked Wicky banner has brought out Pollard’s best. Swimmer To A Liquid Armchair, the third Ricked Wicky record of 2015—insert your own stale jab about prolificacy here; we’ll wait—is probably the most consistent. (The others are debut I Sell The Circus and followup King Heavy Metal.) Pollard’s typically fine pop, punk, psych and prog stylings are in full e ffect, and moments like the ultra-melodic “Poor Substitute,” where Pollard hilariously claims he’ll “never have the Midas touch,” rank with anything in his voluminous back catalog. (That was stale, but wasn’t a jab.) It’s to Mitchell’s credit that his songs, “Blind Side” and “Plastic Oceanic Getaway,” aren’t filler, but rather vital to the LP’s vibe and success, though thoughts do wander to how great they’d be if Pollard were singing them. Ricked Wicky isn’t Guided By Voices. It’s not Boston Spaceships. It’s not even the Keene Brothers. (Sorry, I indulged myself there.) But as someone smart once said about Pollard’s output, it’s all one thing—and that’s gold. —Matt Hickey
