Guided By Voices (Indie Rock)

Guided By Voices. In two words: sincerity, complexity. Guided By Voices records are complex records, usually made up of a very large number of songs, often under 2 minutes long, and of sometimes opposing genres. Guided By Voices has 17 studio records. So it was impossible to review them all. This article aims to focus on the two that are my favourites: Bee Thousand (1994) and Alien Lanes (1995).

First of all, I think, you have to understand what Guided By Voices brought to independent music. The band found its inspiration in 1975, when Robert Pollard was at Northridge High School, in Utah. With the arrival of Mitch Mitchell (class of 1977), Kevin Fennell (a student at the same high school) and a rock critic named Jim Greer, Guided By Voices was born. The first EP, Forever Since Breakfast, came out in 1986, and the first album, Same Place the Fly Got Smashed, in 1990. By the time the band released Alien Lanes, its eighth studio album, Robert Pollard had already written more than 2,000 songs. And that is no small thing. Guided By Voices’ influence would very quickly spread across the ’90s scene, to Pavement, Sebadoh, The Capstan Shafts, or other more recent bands such as The Strokes. The band would also spark a huge debate on the need for so-called major labels.

Bee Thousand opens with a surprising “Hardcore UFO’s”, hard to get a grip on. But the album takes on its full scope with “Tractor Rape Chain“, one of the most accomplished tracks on the record. The guitar has a new sound, a singularity that would bring GBV unexpected success. How can you deny the pop power of “Hot Freaks”? We are then off on a long lo-fi crossing. “Echos Myron” has the advantage of a beautiful melody, just like “Awful Bliss” (featured on Still in Rock Mixtape #1, available here). “Mincer Ray” comes closer to the spirit of Alien Lanes. “A Big Fan Of The Pigpen” is enough to make heads spin. Don’t try to give it too many listens, this seemingly perfectly harmless track could well get the better of your days. Could “Kicker Of Elves” have been a charming single? Certainly, but it is nothing of the sort, and so much the better. “I Am A Scientist” gives the record the conclusion it deserves. “You’re Not An Airplane“, in the form of a nursery rhyme, closes with all the self-mockery that gives this band its superiority. In the end, each of these tracks seems to be the demo of a song that changed the world of music.

Alien Lanes, originally recorded on a four-track, opens with a rather exceptional track: “A Salty Salute“. You immediately hear the difference in sound, a less lo-fi track, with the same energy that characterised Bee Thousand. “Evil Speakers“, under a minute long, returns to a closer sound. “As We Go Up, We Go Down” is my favourite, for its slightly Britpop side. The minute-thirty of “Game Of Pricks” and “Closer You Are” spice up the record with a few nervous chords. Then comes “My Valuable Hunting Knife“, a track that sounds like an ultra-classic altered by a little acid. “King And Caroline” is the same, like a live version recorded on an iPhone 1.0. “Auditorium” comes close to punk, further proof of the complexity of Guided By Voices albums. Other songs are clearly nostalgic, such as “Strawdogs“. We slowly approach the end of the record with “My Son Cool“. But the album still holds a very nice surprise in store with “Always Crush Me“, certainly one of the very best. All in all, Alien Lanes is one of the finest independent creations of the ’90s. And to think it has NEVER been reissued! Something is wrong here…

Don’t miss out on listening to Under the Bushes Under the Stars (1996) either, with “Rhine Jive Click“, “Cut-Out Witch“, “Look at Them“, “Underwater Explosions“, the melodious “Atom Eyes“, “Don’t Stop Now“, “Sheet Kickers” and “

Redmen and Their Wives“.

Guided By Voices is a celebration of artistic sincerity. The band delivers songs of very uneven length. When it felt the creative side had run its course, it moved on to a new creation, never trying to complete its songs at the risk of watering them down. We never come across this approach anymore in 2013. So, was it better before? It was certainly more honest.

Tracks from Bee Thousand (1994):

Guided By Voices – Tractor Rape Chain

Guided By Voices – Hot Freaks

Tracks from Alien Lanes (1995):

Guided By Voices – A Salty Salute

Guided By Voices – Always Crush Me

Related links:

Article on Pavement (best band evah’)

Link to all the ‘anachronique’ articles