It's surprising what a difference it makes when a musician knows someone will actually be hearing his work. After 1994's charmingly sloppy Bee Thousand gained Guided By Voices a nationwide cult following (instead of the local cult following they were accustomed to), 1995's Alien Lanes found Robert Pollard and his partners in hard pop cleaning up their act a bit. For the most part, Alien Lanes isn't radically different from Bee Thousand -- it was primarily recorded on a four-track cassette machine (and sounds like it), and Guided By Voices was still a garage band with more in the way of inspiration than chops. But the musicians have put a bit more care and focus into their performance on this set; the playing is tighter and sharper, and the band plays toward their strengths, pushing their occasional sloppiness into a harder, more rock-oriented direction. And if Pollard and Tobin Sprout were still obsessed with tiny fragments of pop song wonderment, they also rounded up a more consistent collection of them; there aren't quite as many obvious masterpieces as on Bee Thousand, but also fewer obvious mistakes, and the sequencing gives the album a more consistent flow than before. Pollard also made genuine inroads into more lyrically cognizant material (though don't fret, "Auditorium" and "Blimps Go 90" are as cryptic as ever), and "Watch Me Jumpstart," "Striped White Jets," and "Motor Away" are simply superb pop/rock songs. (Sprout also gets a few shining moments on "A Good Flying Bird" and "Straw Dogs.") Both Bee Thousand and Alien Lanes sound like they were made by a band of inspired amateurs with great ideas; the difference is that Alien Lanes suggests that Guided By Voices wanted to prove that they could turn pro some day.
To GbV's Alien Lanes I realize just how used I am to stereo sound and how many possibilites can be opened by using monoaural.Bob Pollard's band managed to bring together a sound that is typical to Mid-Western alt bands like The Replacements, but in addition he managed to give it that casual off-the-cuff air that makes their music so interesting.
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:http://www.toothpastefordinner.comSometimes when I am resistant to working, I put on a playlist of long songs alternating with this one song which is exactly 2 minutes long. During the short song, I get to take a break. When the next long song starts I get to switch to a different task. This is a way of bargaining with procrastination, which is sometimes helpful as a self-employed person.I thi...
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if you were told you could only take 5 artists/bands with you for the rest of your life who would you take? i like this top five and my bass player and i had this conversation the other day. it's a little harder, i think, because you have to kind of kill your babies (i.e. i love nada surf but the 4 records i have well.. there's just not enough of a catalog there, yet, for me to say they'd make ...
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:http://www.toothpastefordinner.comSometimes when I am resistant to working, I put on a playlist of long songs alternating with this one song which is exactly 2 minutes long. During the short song, I get to take a break. When the next long song starts I get to switch to a different task. This is a way of bargaining with procrastination, which is sometimes helpful as a self-employed person.I thi...
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Compiled by: Mindy I know how you feel, Lynne. Here are some songs for feeling pissed off, just plain awesome, and never giving up! 01. The Thermals - "No Culture Icons" (More Parts Per Million) 02. Guided by Voices - "Watch Me Jumpstart" (Human Amusement at Hourly Rates) 03. Belle & Sebastian - "Lazy Line Painter Jane" (Push Barman to Open Old Wounds Disc 1) 04. Dressy Bessy - "Extra-Ordinar...
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if you were told you could only take 5 artists/bands with you for the rest of your life who would you take? i like this top five and my bass player and i had this conversation the other day. it's a little harder, i think, because you have to kind of kill your babies (i.e. i love nada surf but the 4 records i have well.. there's just not enough of a catalog there, yet, for me to say they'd make ...
More >
To GbV's Alien Lanes I realize just how used I am to stereo sound and how many possibilites can be opened by using monoaural.Bob Pollard's band managed to bring together a sound that is typical to Mid-Western alt bands like The Replacements, but in addition he managed to give it that casual off-the-cuff air that makes their music so interesting.
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| Title | Lyrics | Buy |
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| 1 A Salty Salute |
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| 2 Evil Speakers |
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| 3 Watch Me Jumpstart |
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| 4 They're Not Witches |
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| 5 As We Go up We Go Down |
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| 6 (I Wanna Be A) Dumbcharger |
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| 7 Game of Pricks |
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| 8 The Ugly Vision |
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| 9 A Good Flying Bird |
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| 10 Cigarette Tricks |
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| 11 Pimple Zoo |
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| 12 Big Chief Chinese Restaurant |
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| 13 Closer You Are |
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| 14 Auditorium |
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| 15 Motor Away |
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| 16 Hit |
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| 17 My Valuable Hunting Knife |
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| 18 Gold Kick |
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| 19 King & Caroline |
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| 20 Striped White Jets |
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| 21 Ex-Supermodel |
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| 22 Blimpe Go 90 |
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| 23 Straw Dogs |
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| 24 Chicken Blows |
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| 25 Little Whirl |
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| 26 My Son Cool |
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| 27 Always Crush Me |
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| 28 Alright |
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 "Alien Lanes")
