Guided By Voices - Bee Thousand (Album Review)

 

Guided By Voices - Bee Thousand

(1994)


My copy: 2015 remastered reissue by Scat Records.


Well known for their deep catalog of short but addicting lo-fi pop-rock albums, Guided By Voices released what may be their most well received album in 1994’s Bee Thousand. Spanning 20 tracks with the longest runner sitting at just over three minutes, Bee Thousand is mostly snapshots of catchy choruses married to Robert Pollard’s rapid-fire lyrical wit. 

The production across Bee Thousand is bizarre and often changes between tracks: “Hardcore UFOs” has extremely quiet bass while things are more evened out on tracks like “Tractor Rape Chain” or “Echos Myron.” Some tracks take on a more elevated and heartfelt tone, “Tractor Rape Chain” is the most traditionally constructed song with powerful choruses and a fuller instrumental performance. 

“Smothered In Hugs,” “The Goldheart Mountaintop Queen Directory,” “Awful Bliss” and “Ester’s Day” all have an ethereal sense thanks to the atmosphere of background noise; these tracks are technically terribly recorded, but it is done in a way that is extremely aesthetically pleasing, passing on a certain underdog quality that makes Pollard’s contemplative lyrics all the more interesting. 

Songs like “Hot Freaks,” “A Big Fan Of The Pigpen,” “Kicker Of Elves” and “Peep-Hole” are all more stripped back vehicles for Pollard’s meticulous mouthing-off, combining goofy one-liners with serious ponderings. The drums are largely muted or recorded as though they are far away, giving a more personable feeling to Pollard’s tight vocal melodies. The 60s British pop influence is quite clear although it is done with a sloppy American D.I.Y. tenacity that allows the music to feel distinct. 

“Her Psychology Today” is a standout for its strange structure, beginning as a quiet piece of agitated hard rock before blossoming into an acoustic meditation. “I Am A Scientist” is cheeky yet astute while the closing track “You’re Not An Airplane” is 32 seconds of extremely warped piano and vocals. There are moments of songwriting genius and there are moments where ideas are lost in the ether or brevity: fortunately Bee Thousand contains some of the highest highs of their whole catalog.

Guided By Voices are like the class clowns who secretly hold heavy hearts: quiet mournful tunes are buried in the dense, lo-fi chaos that is largely fronted by lyrical jests. Much like a class clown, you’ll have to sit through some of the jokes that don’t land to understand the core of their personality. 

This album is widely available.


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