Phantom Tollbooth

Way off in left field is the new Robert Pollard collaboration with ’80s prog-indie rockers Phantom Tollbooth. Originally released in 1988 on Homestead Records under the title Power Toy, Beard of Lightning sees Pollard writing and singing all new lyrics to the music in its original state. Located musically somewhere between mid-‘80s Meat Puppets, early ‘90s Widespread Panic and Disciple-era King Crimson, the musical equation created by the band is quirky, off-setting at times and definitely non-linear, yet Pollard takes full advantages of these intricacies and breathes new life into the recordings. I’ve literally got no idea what the fuck he’s singing about for the most part, but I like it much more than I liked the original PT album in its untouched form.