Boston Spaceships
Encyclopedia
Boston Spaceships is a pop
, punk
and rock music
band featuring Robert Pollard
of Guided By Voices
, John Moen
(Decemberists, Perhapst), and Chris Slusarenko of Guided By Voices
. The name of the band comes from a nickname Pollard gave to the Boston cream donut from Krispy Kreme
, which is Pollard's favorite donut. The band released several albums before disbanding in 2011 with their final album Let it Beard.
and Jason Narducy.
The band's first album Brown Submarine
was released in September and received good reviews, scoring the highest score for a Pollard release on metacritic
since GBV's Earthquake Glue
five years prior http://www.metacritic.com/music/artists/bostonspaceships/brownsubmarine?q=Boston%20Spaceships. The album was named the 12th best album of 2008 by Magnet Magazine
http://www.magnetmagazine.com/2008/12/23/magnets-top-25-albums-of-2008/. The band released two 7 inch records, Headache Revolution and You Satisfy Me to round out the year.
in February 2009. The album featured guest appearances by Greg Demos
(GBV 1990-99), Gary Jarman
(The Cribs
) and Chris Funk
(The Decemberists
).
The band released their third album Zero To 99
in October 2009. Magnet Magazine
called it the 8th best album of 2009 and The Big Takeover
's Tim Bugbee called Zero to 99 the 5th best album of 2009. In late 2009 they released their first live album
Licking Stamps And Drinking Shitty Coffee - Boston Spaceships Live in Atlanta from the bands October 17, 2008 show.
, was released in September 2010.
, on the 2nd of August 2011. The album features guest spots from J Mascis
(Dinosaur Jr.), Colin Newman
(Wire
), Steve Wynn
(Dream Syndicate
), Mick Collins
(The Dirtbombs
), Dave Rick
(Phantom Tollbooth
), and Mitch Mitchell (Guided by Voices
).
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
, punk
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
and rock music
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
band featuring Robert Pollard
Robert Pollard
Robert Pollard is an American rock musician and singer-songwriter who is the leader and creative force behind indie rock group Guided by Voices, who disbanded in 2004, only to reform in 2010...
of Guided By Voices
Guided by Voices
Guided by Voices is an American indie rock band originating from Dayton, Ohio. Beginning with the band's formation in 1983, it made frequent personnel changes but always maintained the presence of principal songwriter Robert Pollard...
, John Moen
John Moen
John Moen is a musician and member of The Decemberists, Boston Spaceships, and Perhapst. He sings, plays the drums, five banjos, the melodica, occasionally the keyboard, and dances around with a floor tom...
(Decemberists, Perhapst), and Chris Slusarenko of Guided By Voices
Guided by Voices
Guided by Voices is an American indie rock band originating from Dayton, Ohio. Beginning with the band's formation in 1983, it made frequent personnel changes but always maintained the presence of principal songwriter Robert Pollard...
. The name of the band comes from a nickname Pollard gave to the Boston cream donut from Krispy Kreme
Krispy Kreme
Krispy Kreme is the name of an international chain of doughnut stores that was founded by Vernon Rudolph in 1937 in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. The parent company of Krispy Kreme is Krispy Kreme Doughnuts, Inc...
, which is Pollard's favorite donut. The band released several albums before disbanding in 2011 with their final album Let it Beard.
2008: Beginnings
In June 2008 Pollard announced he had formed a new recording project, Boston Spaceships. Pollard's confidence in the band led to a seventeen date fall tour that began in late September. For the band's sole set of live dates Pollard, Moen and Slusarenko were joined by longtime Pollard collaborators Tommy KeeneTommy Keene
Tommy Keene is an American singer-songwriter, best known for releasing critical acclaimed new wave/power pop songs in the 1980s. He has a longtime cult following among fans of the musical genre of power pop...
and Jason Narducy.
The band's first album Brown Submarine
Brown Submarine
-Track listing:All songs written by Robert Pollard.Side A#Winston's Atomic Bird - 1.48#Brown Submarine - 1.22#You Satisfy Me - 3.04#Ate It Twice - 1.56#Two Girl Area - 2.31#North 11 A.M, - 2.35#Zero Fix - 2.44Side B...
was released in September and received good reviews, scoring the highest score for a Pollard release on metacritic
Metacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
since GBV's Earthquake Glue
Earthquake Glue
Earthquake Glue is the 14th record by Dayton, Ohio rock group Guided by Voices. Working titles for the album included "Model Prisoners of the 5 Sense Realm", "Live Like Kings Forever", and "All Sinners Welcome". The first 25,000 copies were packaged in a numbered limited-edition digipak...
five years prior http://www.metacritic.com/music/artists/bostonspaceships/brownsubmarine?q=Boston%20Spaceships. The album was named the 12th best album of 2008 by Magnet Magazine
Magnet (magazine)
Magnet is a music magazine which generally focuses on alternative, independent, or out-of-the-mainstream bands.-History:The magazine is published four times a year, and is independently owned and edited by Eric T. Miller. Music magazines with a similar focus in the 1990s era included Option,...
http://www.magnetmagazine.com/2008/12/23/magnets-top-25-albums-of-2008/. The band released two 7 inch records, Headache Revolution and You Satisfy Me to round out the year.
2009
The band released their second album The Planets are BlastedThe Planets are Blasted
The Planets are Blasted is the second album by the Boston Spaceships, released in 2009.-Track listing:All songs written by Robert Pollard.Side A#Canned Food Demons - 2.08#Dorothy's A Planet - 2.21#Tattoo Mission - 2.44...
in February 2009. The album featured guest appearances by Greg Demos
Greg Demos
Greg Demos is a Dayton, Ohio musician best known as the bassist in Guided by Voices. By trade, he is a partner in the law firm of Fowler, Demos & Stueve in Lebanon, Ohio...
(GBV 1990-99), Gary Jarman
Gary Jarman
Gary John Jarman is a British multi-instrumentalist, best known for being bassist and singer in the Wakefield music group The Cribs....
(The Cribs
The Cribs
The Cribs are an English three-piece indie rock band from Wakefield, West Yorkshire. The band consists of twins Gary and Ryan Jarman and their younger brother Ross Jarman. They were subsequently joined by ex-The Smiths and Modest Mouse guitarist Johnny Marr who was made a formal member of the group...
) and Chris Funk
Chris Funk
Christopher Lyman Funk is a multi-instrumentalist and member of the Portland, Oregon, indie rock band The Decemberists. He is originally from Valparaiso, Indiana where he worked at Front Porch Music which inspired his love of American Folk Music. He plays guitar, pedal steel, piano, violin,...
(The Decemberists
The Decemberists
The Decemberists are an indie folk rock band from Portland, Oregon, United States, fronted by singer/songwriter Colin Meloy. The other members of the band are Chris Funk , Jenny Conlee , Nate Query , and John Moen .The band's...
).
The band released their third album Zero To 99
Zero to 99
Zero to 99 is the third album by the Boston Spaceships, released in 2009.-Track listing:All songs written by Robert Pollard.Side A#Pluto The Skate - 1.17#How Wrong You Are - 2.27#Radical Amazement - 3.20...
in October 2009. Magnet Magazine
Magnet (magazine)
Magnet is a music magazine which generally focuses on alternative, independent, or out-of-the-mainstream bands.-History:The magazine is published four times a year, and is independently owned and edited by Eric T. Miller. Music magazines with a similar focus in the 1990s era included Option,...
called it the 8th best album of 2009 and The Big Takeover
The Big Takeover
The Big Takeover is a bi-annual music magazine published out of New York City since 1980 by critic Jack Rabid.-Overview:The Big T usually appears in June and December, with most recent issues coming in around 200 pages. The review section, featuring Jack’s Top 40 for the issue, is regularly 60-80...
's Tim Bugbee called Zero to 99 the 5th best album of 2009. In late 2009 they released their first live album
Live album
A live album is a recording consisting of material recorded during stage performances using remote recording techniques, commonly contrasted with a studio album...
Licking Stamps And Drinking Shitty Coffee - Boston Spaceships Live in Atlanta from the bands October 17, 2008 show.
2010
Boston Spaceships released an EP, Camera Found The Ray-Gun in March 2010. Their fourth LP, Our Cubehouse Still RocksOur Cubehouse Still Rocks
Our Cubehouse Still Rocks is the 4th album by the Boston Spaceships, released in 2010.-Track listing:All songs written by Robert Pollard.Side A#Track Star - 3.08#John The Dwarf Wants To Become An Angel - 2.49#I See You Coming - 2.53...
, was released in September 2010.
2011
The band released their fifth and final album, the double LP Let It BeardLet It Beard
Let It Beard is the fifth and final album by the Boston Spaceships, released in 2011.-Track listing:All songs written by Robert Pollard.#Blind 20-20 - 3.03#Juggernaut Vs...
, on the 2nd of August 2011. The album features guest spots from J Mascis
J Mascis
J Mascis is an American musician, best known as the singer, guitarist and songwriter for Dinosaur Jr.. In 2011, he was ranked in Rolling Stone's list of the 100 greatest guitarists of all time.- Biography :...
(Dinosaur Jr.), Colin Newman
Colin Newman
Colin Newman is an English musician, record producer and record label owner.-Biography:Newman is a member of the rock band Wire. When the band temporarily split in 1980, Newman pursued a solo career. His first solo LP, A-Z, was released in 1980 on the Beggar's Banquet label...
(Wire
Wire (band)
Wire are an English rock band, formed in London in October 1976 by Colin Newman , Graham Lewis , Bruce Gilbert , and Robert Gotobed...
), Steve Wynn
Steve Wynn (songwriter)
Steve Wynn is a songwriter based in New York . He led the band the Dream Syndicate from 1981 to 1989 and afterward began a solo career.- Career in bands :...
(Dream Syndicate
Dream Syndicate
The Dream Syndicate was an alternative rock band from Los Angeles, California active from 1981 to 1989. The band was associated with the Paisley Underground music movement.-History:...
), Mick Collins
Mick Collins
Mick Collins is a musician from Detroit, Michigan.- Biography :Collins first played in a band called the U-Boats in 1981 and then in the Floor Tasters from 1984 to 1985. In 1986, the 20-year old Collins helped form the seminal garage punk band, The Gories...
(The Dirtbombs
The Dirtbombs
The Dirtbombs are an American garage rock band based in Detroit, Michigan, notable for blending diverse influences such as punk rock and soul while featuring a dual bass guitar, dual drum and guitar lineup...
), Dave Rick
Dave Rick
Dave Rick is an American guitarist and former member of underground rock bands B.A.L.L, Bongwater, King Missile, Phantom Tollbooth, When People Were Shorter and Lived Near the Water, Wide Right, Wonderama, and Yo La Tengo . He is a current member of Atlantic Drone, Dew-Claw, The Martinets, Overcat...
(Phantom Tollbooth
Phantom Tollbooth (band)
Phantom Tollbooth was a post punk band from New York City. Purveyors of psychedelic/jazzcore damage, PT played from 1984 to 1988, releasing albums on Homestead Records....
), and Mitch Mitchell (Guided by Voices
Guided by Voices
Guided by Voices is an American indie rock band originating from Dayton, Ohio. Beginning with the band's formation in 1983, it made frequent personnel changes but always maintained the presence of principal songwriter Robert Pollard...
).
Albums
- 2008 - Brown SubmarineBrown Submarine-Track listing:All songs written by Robert Pollard.Side A#Winston's Atomic Bird - 1.48#Brown Submarine - 1.22#You Satisfy Me - 3.04#Ate It Twice - 1.56#Two Girl Area - 2.31#North 11 A.M, - 2.35#Zero Fix - 2.44Side B...
(Guided By Voices Inc.) - 2009 - The Planets are BlastedThe Planets are BlastedThe Planets are Blasted is the second album by the Boston Spaceships, released in 2009.-Track listing:All songs written by Robert Pollard.Side A#Canned Food Demons - 2.08#Dorothy's A Planet - 2.21#Tattoo Mission - 2.44...
(Guided By Voices Inc.) - 2009 - Zero to 99Zero to 99Zero to 99 is the third album by the Boston Spaceships, released in 2009.-Track listing:All songs written by Robert Pollard.Side A#Pluto The Skate - 1.17#How Wrong You Are - 2.27#Radical Amazement - 3.20...
(Guided By Voices Inc.) - 2010 - Our Cubehouse Still RocksOur Cubehouse Still RocksOur Cubehouse Still Rocks is the 4th album by the Boston Spaceships, released in 2010.-Track listing:All songs written by Robert Pollard.Side A#Track Star - 3.08#John The Dwarf Wants To Become An Angel - 2.49#I See You Coming - 2.53...
(Guided By Voices Inc.) - 2011 - Let It BeardLet It BeardLet It Beard is the fifth and final album by the Boston Spaceships, released in 2011.-Track listing:All songs written by Robert Pollard.#Blind 20-20 - 3.03#Juggernaut Vs...
(Guided By Voices Inc.)
Singles & EPs
- 2008 - Headache Revolution (7" - Happy Jack Rock Records)
- 2008 - You Satisfy Me (7" - Happy Jack Rock Records)
- 2010 - Camera Found The Ray-Gun (EP - Jackpot Records)
Live
- 2009 - Licking Stamps And Drinking Shitty Coffee - Boston Spaceships Live in Atlanta