By this, the fifth album from the reformed classic lineup, it is clear that the magic juice of this lineup of GBV hasn't run out, and that 2012-2014 is going to be looked back as another amazing era for the band, and one that though only lasted three years, bore a staggering amount of good songs.
I already mentioned the opening and closing songs, but there are other standouts as well. Planet Score, for example, is immediate ear candy and destined for the higher echelons of GBV lore, with a riff that is instantly recognizable like with Motor Away or Game of Pricks. I Am Columbus has a driving rhythm and harmonized vocals that ebbs and flows with a subtle yet effective guitar solo sneaking in at the end. Vote For Me Dummy reminds me the most of the classic albums like Bee Thousand, with its chiming lead guitar and melodic chorus ("And vote for dummy/I'll tell you the truth/Then I'll tell you a joke") and its kickstart intro and lo-fi character.
After that things get a bit more middling. Sprout's tracks on Motivational Jumpsuit wouldn't really stand-out if you were to line them up side-to-side with his other ones from this era of the band. A shining example is Shine (Tomahawk Breath); I'm convinced that I, with my limited guitar skills, could play some random chords and Tobin Sprout could sing over them and make it sound like a decent to pretty nice song. Songs like Shine are just ok because it seems too effortless for the guy (though I appreciate the solo at the end). Jupiter Spin is grungy and dirty contrasted with Sprout's soft vocals, giving it a haunting vibe that would make a great intro song for a "True Detective" or similarly styled TV show. Record Level Love sounds like something I'd hear on a new wave channel straight out of the 80's, with Sprout channeling The Church or Echo & the Bunnymen. Is that Sprout channeling Pollard on Calling Up Washington? Five quick lines and a repeated line over and over until the end, and in typical Sprout fashion it just sounds very nice. If Sprout has a hit on Motivational Jumpsuit, it is Some Things are Big (And Some Things are Small). It has a beautiful and simple chorus that I can listen to all day.
There is something theatric with some of the songs on Motivational Jumpsuit, and Go Without Packing feels like a warning being provided by some type of mystic or ghost after the person in question has just done something they shouldn't have. Bird With No Name is very similar with a haunting and storyteller vibe. Save the Company is almost humorous with how exactly it matches the cheesiness that comes expected with a corporate pep talk, yet also sounds so sincere at the same time. The Mario Andretti namechecked Until Next Time is another drinker's ballad that you can imagine being played late in a live set.
Rounding out the album are some heavier tracks that I'm sure some fans are going to have in their "best of" lists. Writer's Bloc (Psycho All the Time) is about the challenges of getting ideas out, which I am guessing is some type of ironic statement of Pollard's, but nonetheless, with its frantic riffs, gives sound to that type of frustration. With Difficult Outburst and Breakthrough the track starts with an outburst without any type of introduction whatsoever - just like that, you are hearing a chorus before you realize a new song even started. Zero Elasticity contains the album title lyric and has Pollard saying "I got zero elasticity in my face", which I think is a tongue-in-cheek reflection on aging that is a lot of fun. Lastly, Bulletin Borders is a fairly straightforward rocker with Pollard's usual lyrical flare (Bulletin borders/The doctors orders/You're not really there/A mannequin stare).
Not meaning to end on a dull note, but sometimes in a Pollard song you can actually tell that the lyrics came first and then there is a guitar just there to follow the cadence of the words, and that is what I hear with Evangeline Dandelion. Again, but a bad song, but not a great one either.
Though somehow Motivational Jumpsuit ended up with a better score than Let's Go Eat the Factory and The Bears for Lunch, I'm not quite convinced it is better than either of them. It has some great songs like Planet Score, Alex and the Omegas, and Vote For Me Dummy, and I feel that even the songs I didn't rate really high are going to be fan favorites for others, so it is easy to recommend to someone to check out, as it is yet another solid outing for GBV.
You can read about the new ranking style here. And without further ado, here is the ranking of Motivational Jumpsuit:
Among Bob's Best
-- none
Gems
20 Alex and the Omegas
05 Planet Score
Almost Gems
01 The Littlest League Possible
10 I Am Columbus
16 Vote For Me Dummy
17 Some Things Are Big (And Some Things Are Small)
They're Good
06 Jupiter Spin
07 Save the Company
11 Difficult Outbursts and Breakthrough
12 Calling Up Washington
13 Zero Elasticity
They're OK
02 Until Next Time
03 Writer's Bloc (Psycho All the Time)
04 Child Activist
09 Record Level Love
14 Bird With No Name
15 Shine (Tomahawk Breath)
18 Bulletin Borders
Could Live Without
08 Go Without Packing
19 Evangeline Dandelion
Toss-Offs & Throwaways
- none
- none
Given the scoring above, the album would get 57 points total (and an average of 2.85).
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