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Guided by Voices

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"Guided by Voices"("GbV") is a lo-fi/indie-rock band. Drawing from pop, prog rock, punk and British 60s music, and with lyrics tackling issues such as alien abductions, cinnamon flavored skulls, latter day saints and twilight camp fighters, Guided by Voices is a part of the American alternative rock scene. Fronted by former school teacher Robert Pollard, GBV has released some twenty albums in its long career. Pollard has also released numerous (!) solo albums and collaborative side project releases under such names as Circus Devils, Hazzard Hotrods, Airport 5, Go Back Snowball, and Lifeguards.

Their musical style is unique and immediately recognizable. Their repertoire contains many 30-seconds-to-1-minute sketches of blissful rock-pop songs, recorded in lo-fi, that often end abruptly or are intertwined with odd and homemade sound effects. Especially in albums like "Alien Lanes," the melodic talent of Bob Pollard rings out.

Formed in the early 80s, GbV released several albums on several independent record labels, and in 1994 they had a major release of Bee Thousand with Scat Records; distributed by Matador Records. The band soon signed with Matador. The next few years saw the release of Alien Lanes and Under the Bushes, Under the Stars, which, while still maintaining the lo-fi aesthetic (Alien Lanes was mostly recorded on a 4-track), saw their songwriting and performing gradually become more focused.

Tobin Sprout was a major contributor during this period, penning a handful of songs on all the albums through 1996. Shortly after the '96 release of UTBUTS, Pollard started working with Cleveland glam rockers Cobra Verde as the new GBV backing band. The following album, 1997's Mag Earwhig, continued with the band's trademark sound, but in 1999 Pollard fired most of the band again, left Matador, joined TVT Records, and released Do the Collapse, a Ric Ocasek produced album that attempted a more radio friendly sound for GBV, yet one which did not garner significant radio airplay. 2001's Isolation Drills was a shining moment, due in part to producer Rob Schnapf who was able to help the band capture their live intensity. In 2002 GBV returned to Matador and released Universal Truths and Cycles, something of a return to their lo-fi roots. 2003 saw the release of Earthquake Glue, followed by the box set Hardcore UFOs and the highly recommended best-of compilation Human Amusements at Hourly Rates.

In 2004, Pollard announced he was discontinuing Guided By Voices following the release of the "Half-Smiles of the Decomposed" LP and a subsequent tour. The album will be released on August 24 2004 and will contain tracks such as "Sing for Your Meat", "(S)mothering and Coaching" and "Gonna Never Have To Die". [1]

Key works: Bee Thousand, Alien Lanes, Under the Bushes Under the Stars, and Isolation Drills.

Listening

Seeing

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