That being said, the most anticipated day of my 1998 thus far has been June 23, when the Angus to my Iggy and myself loaded the cats and the dogs and the chickens and the goats into the car and journeyed to a local overpriced record emporium to purchase the newest opus from Guided by Voices frontman Robert Pollard.

While there are no armpit noises or Tibetan monks anywhere on the record, Waved Out is still, on some levels, a disappointment. For instance, casual fans -- you know, the ones you find at most GbV shows nowadays downing their 40s of light beer while donning their Abercrombie and Fitch flannels and $300 sandals (a disturbing trend in itself) -- will have neither the patience nor inclination to endure this record. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, mind you.

From the first notes of "Make Use," Waved Out initially comes off as a jigsaw puzzle where the pieces are hammered into place instead of fitting perfectly. While "Make Use" is destined to be another future GbV live staple (among several here), it foreshadows the change of direction Pollard's taken in his songwriting when he proclaims, "And be humble to our works/We have suffered the change again." Sprinkled with a liberal dose of time changes, "Make Use" heralds a journey to a world where Pollard is king and prog rock is in vogue. The closest he comes to unleashing Total Rock Power on this record is in "Subspace Biographies," an instantly memorable tune that could well be subtitled "Child of Quality of Armor."

There are other highlights here, to be sure. The pretty "Wrinkled Ghost" includes the only appearance by Pollard amigo and former GbV guitarist Tobin Sprout, who's relocated from GbV's home base of Dayton, Ohio, to somewhere in Michigan, and appears to be phasing himself out of Pollard's rock universe. His contribution here is evident in the gentle pulses of the drum machine that's become synonymous with Sprout's solo work. "People Are Leaving," an elegant paean to those friends of Pollard's who have departed this Earth, features two distinct vocal melodies overlapping one another; musically, the song could soon very well be a piano-bar standard. And "Caught Waves Again" is quite possibly one of the most beautiful songs Pollard has recorded - a simple acoustic-and-vocal ballad recorded in his trademark lo-fi manner.

Taken as a part of the entire Pollard oeuvre (which is likely bigger than your oeuvre and my oeuvre put together), Waved Out pales in comparison to much of his previous output, but how can someone (yes - even my hero) be expected to create a Propeller or a Mag Earwhig! every time out? Forget what you've heard before and take Waved Out for what it is -- a damn fine piece of work that will stand on its own at the end of the day.

After all, Bob would want it that way.