Guided By Voices [Album Covers]

1987 Sandbox SR	1987 Devil Between My Toes SR	1989 Self-Inflicted Aerial Nostalgia S	1990 Same Place the Fly Got Smashed SR
1992 Propeller SR	1993 Vampire on Titus SR	1993 Vampire on Titus / Propeller R	$[ 8 / 38 ] 1994 Bee Thousand The cult of indie rock thrives on the unexpected discovery, and in 1994 Guided by Voices were just the sort of musical phenomenon no one figured was still out there -- 30-something rock obsessives cranking out fractured guitar-driven pop tunes in a laundry room. Robert Pollard and his stable of beer buddies/backing musicians had been churning out stuff like Bee Thousand for years, but the albums surprise critical success marked the first time the group found a significant audience outside their hometown, and it made a clear case for Guided by Voices virtues -- as well as their flaws. From the moment "Hardcore UFOs" kicks in, its obvious that Pollard has an uncanny gift for a hook and a melody, and Bee Thousands 20 cuts are dotted with miniature masterpieces like "Echos Myron," "Smothered in Hugs," and "Queen of Cans and Jars." However, there are also more than a few duds that threaten to cancel out the goodwill the great songs generate, and Pollard is an acquired taste as a lyricist -- his freakishly poetic verse has a real charm, but its hard to figure out what hes on about. (GBVs other principal songwriter, Tobin Sprout, contributes less often, but manages a higher batting average.) The lo-tech rumble of the albums D.I.Y. production also wavers between being a help and a hindrance, depending on the songs, and as musicians Guided by Voices veer between sounding like inspired amateurs and, well, just amateurs. On Bee Thousand, Guided by Voices sound like a passionate and gloriously quirky garage band fronted by a thrillingly and maddeningly idiosyncratic songwriter; its many pearly moments make it a fascinating discovery for rock enthusiasts, but a few years would pass before this band was fully earning the new accolades showered upon it.$ 1994 Bee Thousand SR
1995 Box R	1995 Alien Lanes SR	1996 Tonics & Twisted Chasers S	1996 Under the Bushes Under the Stars SR
1997 Mag Earwhig! S	1999 Do the Collapse SR	2000 Suitcase: Failed Experiments and Trashed Aircraft SR	2001 Isolation Drills SR
2002 Universal Truths and Cycles SR	2003 Earthquake Glue SR	2003 Hardcore UFOs: Revelations, Epiphanies and Fast Food in the Western Hemisphere	2003 Human Amusements at Hourly Rates: The Best of Guided by Voices S
2004 Half Smiles of the Decomposed SR	2005 King Shit & The Golden Boys SR	2005 Suitcase 2: American Superdream Wow R	2009 Suitcase 3: Up We Go Now SR
2012 Lets Go Eat the Factory SR	2012 Class Clown Spots a UFO SR	2012 The Bears for Lunch SR	$[ 28 / 38 ] 2013 English Little League English Little League is the fourth album by the reunited mid-90s Guided by Voices lineup in a little under a year and it shows the inevitable strain of making so much music in such a short time. Of course, being prolific is basically GbVs calling card, but in the past one could count on a fairly high killer vs. filler ratio. Sometimes even hovering close to 100 percent during the bands salad days. This time its closer to 50-50, as Robert Pollards songs sometimes struggle to deliver hooks and the band runs through the fractured power pop paces, but rarely comes to life. These are the times when you wish the band would pack it in. The times you are glad theyre back are when Pollard whips out a classic tune and the band starts firing on all four, and it sounds like an older, but still rambunctious, version of the classic band. The shorter, faster Pollard tunes like the rumbling "Crybaby 4 Star Hotel" sound the best, though some of the proggy heavy rockers sound fine too. The problems arise on the slower, more introspective songs that give more airtime to the toll years of being Pollard have extracted from his voice. They drag the album to a halt when they arrive, sucking all the energy out of their sound as they ramble along with no strong payoff. The real bright spots on the album are the Tobin Sprout songs. He gets three solo songs and one co-write with Pollard, and they are the brightest, most straightforward songs on the album -- "Islands" is even the best song here. While GbV are clearly Pollards show and his aesthetic rightfully guides their way, Sprout is doing better work now and it might make sense to showcase his work more on their next record. Which will follow this one in a couple months, no doubt. As for English Little League, the three records the band did in 2012 are all stronger collections, but this is hardly a failure. One just has to search a little harder to find the good songs this time.$ 2013 English Little League SR
2014 Motivational Jumpsuit SR	2014 Cool Planet SR	2015 Suitcase 4 : Captain Kangaroo Won the War S	2015 Briefcase Four: Captain Kangaroo Won The War
2016 Please Be Honest SR	2017 August By Cake SR	2017 How Do You Spell Heaven SR	2018 Space Gun SR
2019 Zeppelin Over China S	2019 Warp And Woof S