Universal Truths and Cycles

GBV frontman Robert Pollard writes songs like drunks piss: constantly and with little control. Although the band’s last blast, Isolation Drills, was more focused than most, this latest slips back into the hit-or-miss groove, interspersing sharp cuts like the voice-cracking “Cheyenne” and the soaring crescendo of “Storm Vibrations” with tossed-off snoozers like “Pretty Bombs.” It’s a musical muddle that sometimes hits the intended target but has way too much splatter.