Standard Gargoyle Decisions (Double LP) (2007)

Coast to Coast Carpet of Love and Standard Gargoyle Decisions were written and recorded together, then released on the same day. Despite being born as twins, the two albums are strikingly different, and the split was intentional. Initially conceived as a massive 32-track double record, the material was divided into two clear halves: catchy, power-pop songs on Coast to Coast, and dark, gnarly rockers on Standard Gargoyle Decisions. Both records are great! The material benefits from being grouped by style. So it’s especially interesting listen to them blended together and try to make sense of it.

Below is the double-LP tracklist. I guessed where the side breaks would have been, but the breaks line up nicely with the official records. Also interesting to note is that “Accusations” would have been cut from the CD version, for space reasons.

Standard Gargoyle Decisions (Original Double-LP Version)

The dual aesthetics here make for a somewhat disjointed tone. Other double-albums like From a Compound Eye or the shitcanned double-LP version of Elephant Jokes, were more consistent in tone, without a striking contrast between the pop and the experimental stuff. In contrast, the tension between the two distinct styles on the big SGD 2LP is what drives the album’s long arc. Of course, the palette is broader than just two modes, so there is some crossover, and a baseline cohesion running through all the songs… it’s just harder to suss out. For example, both “Rud Fins” (pop) “Spider Eyes” (mutant) sound conjured by Pollard stream-of-consciously, proceeding linearly from beginning to end without anything like a verse or a chorus, but finding lots of righteous hooks along the way. Pollard employed this songwriting technique frequently during the Merge years.

With the Coast to Coast tracks providing sweetness, Standard Gargoyle‘s more abrasive moments go down a lot easier, and I love hearing them in this context.  “Our Gaze” leading into “Pill Gone Girl” is a nice opening pair. “The Killers” works great on side four instead of holding down the album opener spot (it’s a good song, but it was already used as the opening track on Psycho & the Birds’ All That is Holy). “I Clap for Strangers,” a sleeper-hit on Coast to Coast, really shines when sandwiched between the pummeling “Spider Eyes” and the menacing chug of “Shadow Port.”

There are real moments of brilliance in this set of songs. I’m particularly awestruck by “Current Desperation,” a marvel of a song and a great example of the stream-of-consciousness thing Pollard was exploring during this period (see also: Psycho & the Birds, Milko Waif, Normal Happiness, etc.). These songs travel unpredictable paths to astonishingly satisfying highs, yet never repeat sections, leaving you no choice but to hit repeat to hear those huge sweet spots again. Chord progressions and melodies wander organically into surprising and gorgeous moments out of nowhere. These are often paired with some of Pollard’s most abstract lyricism. But when Bob sings:

She’s glowing unrefined as the angels speak of nothing vibrant, high
Robbers take new gravesites, take mine
To bury trepidation
But in current desperation, love
Crying out unknown
Never ever know
Where and when forgiveness will be shown

…the combination of chords, melody, and words create something otherworldly. There’s lots of that here.

Worth noting is the presence of four holdovers from the Silverfish Trivia/Freak Anthem project: The Killers, Slow Hamilton, Life of a Wife, and Come Here Beautiful (formerly “Dream Lover 3”). They fit right in.

After color-coding the double-LP’s tracklist, it became apparent that the first half is skewed toward Coast to Coast (blue) while the second half is mostly SGD (red). So with the halves already pulling apart a bit, separating them wasn’t really a major operation at all. Ultimately, splitting it up into two unique records was the best move, because it helps highlight the best aspects of each set of songs, and create a stronger flow.

APPENDIX: Our Gaze

This might be the only example of albums getting shitcanned AFTER they were released. Having apparently gained the rights to Coast to Coast and Standard Gargoyle from Merge, Pollard opted to release a new single disc version as Our Gaze, which pulled from both albums, seemingly in lieu of re-releasing the original two albums as is.

1. The Killers
2. Pill Gone Girl
3. Count Us In
4. The Island Lobby
5. Rud Fins
6. Current Desperation
7. Hero Blows The Revolution
8. Come Here Beautiful
9. Shadow Port
10. Miles Under The Skin
11. Folded Claws
12. Feel Not Crushed
13. Youth Leagues
14. When We Were Slaves
15. Our Gaze

Our Gaze is an interesting sequence with most of the really strong songs from both albums, though it does omit a few of my favorites. I think it’d be a great set for someone unfamiliar with the full records. I’m already a big fan of C2C and SGD as they are, so I consider Our Gaze a fun “alternate history” but not an improvement on the originals.

Listen to a playlist of the double LP Standard Gargoyle Decisions below

Listen to Our Gaze on Bandcamp

Our Gaze rejects

Just for fun, here’s all the tunes that didn’t make the cut for Our Gaze. “Spider Eyes” is my jam.