Search - Doug Gillard :: Salamander

Salamander
Doug Gillard
Salamander
Genres: Alternative Rock, Pop, Rock
 
  •  Track Listings (14) - Disc #1

Cleveland's Doug Gillard has been a rock band puzzle piece since the 1980s. He co-starred as the obscure sideman in bands Death of Samantha and Cobra Verde and, for the last eight years, has served as Robert Pollard's righ...  more »

     
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CD Details

All Artists: Doug Gillard
Title: Salamander
Members Wishing: 0
Total Copies: 0
Label: Pink Frost
Release Date: 10/19/2004
Genres: Alternative Rock, Pop, Rock
Style: Indie & Lo-Fi
Number of Discs: 1
SwapaCD Credits: 1
UPC: 634457160125

Synopsis

Amazon.com
Cleveland's Doug Gillard has been a rock band puzzle piece since the 1980s. He co-starred as the obscure sideman in bands Death of Samantha and Cobra Verde and, for the last eight years, has served as Robert Pollard's right-hand-axe-man (and writer of the acclaimed "I Am a Tree") in Guided By Voices. As GBV calls it quits, Gillard finally takes a crack at manning the whole puzzle with his solo debut, a hook-bejeweled passage into three decades (sixties through eighties) of pop-influenced songwriting and allusions to the Zombies, the Kinks, Nick Drake, Dwight Twilley, the dB's and Urge Overkill. Promoting a variation from Pollard's spit-shined power-pop for a more pensive display, the gifted Gillard plays all instruments (guitar, bass, drums, piano and percussion) save for drummer Jon Wurster's (Superchunk) three-song accompaniment, and his unrefined self-production juxtaposes his own complex guitar solos and piano breaks with the record's melodically gorgeous tone. --Scott Holter
 

CD Reviews

Very solid songwriting
bobaloo | new york city | 11/28/2004
(4 out of 5 stars)

"If you like Guided by Voices, you will like this very solid effort. The songs take interesting twists (signaled, usually, by strange changes in terms of guitar chords), and the melodies are instantly memorable and always pleasant--yet challanging. Kinda shows you that Bob Pollard of gbv fame maybe should rethink his attitude to overproductivity cause so many of his albums have total throwaways. i don't think doug gillard listens to Genesis the way Bob does (early Genesis--a good but very tricky influence). Also: you won't get sick of this CD--it keeps surprising you. I want to plug something here too: Robyn Hitchcock's Spooked. It is very haunting!"
Go Doug Go!!
Scorby Jones | Woodstock, Georgia | 07/21/2005
(5 out of 5 stars)

"Dang, this disc is an absolute glory to listen to. I am glad that Doug has chosen to record and release this album, for it has made the world a better place. Hooray!"
Do another album Doug!!
Chris Carter | my music room | 11/12/2008
(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is some damn good rock and roll - unpretentious and just plain cool. For you that don't know, Doug Gillard was the lead guitarist in Guided By Voices, only one of the greatest contemporary rock 'n roll bands ever. Sadly, they are no more, and no one will miss their triumphant live performances more than me, but anyhoo, on to the review.



There's just a lot of quality songs on here - no filler to my ears. Even GBV albums had some songs I just didn't care for or felt were uninspired, but this is like George Harrison's "All Things Must Pass", where a sideman steps out from a well-known band and produces a work that astounds.....I listen to this more than most GBV stuff, honestly - it's hard to even single out individual tracks 'cos they're all pretty great (and varied). He understands pacing, too : there are some slower, quieter numbers like "Blockout" (mildly psychedelic). I have a hard time listening to the one about his mom dying, though. "Give Me Something" might be my favorite song on the whole thing - it's just plain [...] cool.



I also like how you can hear extraneous noises on a few tracks - the slide of fingers on guitar strings, a shaker falling to the ground - stuff like that is great to me. Idiosyncratic. And his lower register voice is cool. So make another one, Doug - we'll be waiting - tour or no."