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splendid > reviews > 2/7/2002
Magnetic Health Factory
Magnetic Health Factory
I Can't Wait to Not Talk to You
Blank Stare/Surface Noise


Format Reviewed: 2xCD

Soundclip: "Bona Fide"

Buy it at Insound!
It might seem foolhardy for an outfit this modest to release a double CD --until you learn that San Francisco-based Eric O'Connor is probably the biggest Rob Pollard and Guided by Voices fan out there. When someone as shamelessly prolific as Pollard is your hero -- the very reason you ever picked up a guitar -- it's no wonder that you'd like to get every gem in your arsenal onto your beat-up four-track and out into the world. As heartwarming as that may sound, MHF could use some editing. There is maybe one album's worth of songs here (out of 22!), ranging from dry-sounding blissful power-pop ("Fake It" and "Bona Fide" are stand-outs) to more thoughtful folk strumming. The rest is a hodge-podge of half-songs that could only thrill the most devout fan; remember, Pollard has only gone totally outer limits in the past few years with his unending releases, and only after having established a healthy (or unhealthy) fan base across the country and the world. On the other hand, it's encouraging that people can still manage to make music from out of nowhere that might be a little rough around the edges, but still has moments of brilliance. Isn't that the point, after all?


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