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Guided By Voices “I am a journalist/ I write to you to show you/ I am an incurable/And nothing else behaves like me.” |
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Guided By Voices “I am a journalist/ I write to you to show you/ I am an incurable/And nothing else behaves like me.” |
| These lines, from “I Am A Scientist,” the last track on this 32-song collection from Dayton, Ohio’s Guided By Voices, are an excellent summation of the group’s vocalist, lyricist and resident lush, Robert Pollard. If you’ve never seen this 40-something hopping around onstage while quaffing cheap lager, it becomes quickly evident that no one behaves like him. He comes across as a less streamlined Roger Daltrey, complete with mic twirling, rhythmic head twitching, and passionate vocals. But once he opens his mouth, it’s apparent that no one writes songs like Pollard either—both from a qualitative and quantitative standpoint. Pollard has been spinning surreal rock anthems driven by GBV’s chord-laden guitar, powerful drumming and hook-heavy choruses since the mid-80’s, and his compositions now number in the hundreds. What’s equally amazing is that the majority of these are so damn good. |
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Pollard himself compiled this collection by chiseling out favorites from over fourteen albums and several EPs. A “Best Of” has to be a daunting task in the face of such a wealth of material, but the disc covers almost the full gamut of GBV’s tenure, tracing its constantly mutating production quality and rotating band members. While Human Amusements is a comprehensive summation of GBV, it doesn’t totally capture the amazing individual spirit of their early lo-fi albums (like Vampire on Titus, Bee Thousand or Alien Lanes), which created new textures by use of segues, fades and transitions. And did we really need the Pollard-as-wizard picture on the cover? Horrid. But considering this band has already received multiple box set treatments, this collection is a decent entry point for an indie rock legend. —Don Sears |
