Ricked Wicky

Robert Pollard's remarkably prolific output encompasses a wide range of musical projects, among them Ricked Wicky, which served as his first new outlet once Guided by Voices disbanded for the second time in September 2014. Just days before a planned GbV tour was scheduled to launch, Pollard informed the New York Times that he had canceled it, stating, "It’s gone as far as it was going to go and to go beyond this point, to any degree or any length would be just going through the motions." He also revealed plans to issue an album under the fresh band name Ricked Wicky, a moniker he had created during his early teenage years. Describing the group, perhaps with tongue in cheek, as a "sophisticated arena rock band," Pollard saw its debut album I Sell the Circus open with the track "Mobility," whose sound drew from his affinities for hard rock, muscular pop, and progressive rock. The record, issued by Fire Records in February 2015, featured production from Pollard's longtime associate Todd Tobias and instrumental contributions by Nick Mitchell.