For those of you who may have been foolish enough to conduct a few candlelight vigils under the delusion that the crazy ol' coot Bob Pollard was really throwing in the towel after breaking up his long running and highly influential band Guided By Voices, put the candles and the "We Love You Robert" signs away. The man lives to make music and if you open a dictionary to the word "prolific" you'll see a picture of Dr. Robert grinning like the cat who ate the canary. True, he somehow managed to take 2005 off, but the voice is back to guide you through a few things he might have been doing while he was "retired." 26 things to be exact, amounting to 70 minutes of vintage Pollard product. So smile all you "Glad Girls" because From A Compound Eye, it's pretty easy to see that the man still has a few tricks left up his sleeve.

Recording now under the highly respected indie label Merge - it's almost as if, in one fell swoop, Pollard wanted to show the world that he wasn't washed-up or finished and boy has he made a believer out of me. The great thing too is that there is something here for every type of Guided By Voices fan. Are you the kind that likes the lo-fi leanings of Bee Thousand and Alien Lanes? Then there are definite moments here you'll appreciate, such as "The Right Thing" and "Kensington Cradle." Did you care for the more polished leanings of Isolation Drills and Earthquake Glue? From A Compound Eye is full of them; check out some of the finer moments such as "I'm A Widow," "U.S. Mustard Company," "I Surround You Naked" and "I'm A Strong Lion." There's even moments on here that don't resemble Guided By Voices at all, such as the keyboard heavy "A Flowering Orphan" and the hard rocking and epic "The Numbered Head."

As is expected from a 26 track release, From A Compound Eye is at times wildly inconsistent, but the fact that well over half of this album will satisfy even the most skeptical Guided By Voices fan makes this an essential Pollard pick-up.