Guided By Voices - Alien Lanes (Album Review)

 

Guided By Voices - Alien Lanes

(1995)


My copy: 2011 reissue by Matador.


Following the success of Bee Thousand, Robert Pollard and Guided By Voices had found themselves sitting comfortably on a deal with Matador, netting them a lofty advance of 100,000 dollars. Depending on how you feel about lo-fi rock, Pollard and crew are either rotten thieves or geniuses given the almost non-existent production value of Alien Lanes. The album collects handfuls of brief pop/rock excursions ranging again from mere seconds to just over 3 minutes. Pollard’s dry wit and writing style should be enough to have him knighted as an honorary Brit, but his eagerness to change the subject can sometimes be a hindrance. 

The A-side houses most of the truly compelling material, from “A Salty Salute’s” personable slacker-rock to the fiery distortion of “Watch Me Jumpstart.” As Guided By Voices operates more as a rotating cast with takes being included from various recording sessions, the album has a disconnected feeling that surprisingly makes things more engaging. The bass is in command over sweet vocals on “As We Go Up, We Go Down” until the music slows to a more subtle touch on “(I Wanna Be A) Dumbcharger.” “Game Of Pricks” is their big hit, and the catchy vocal choruses are irresistibly fun. “The Ugly Vision” experiments with broken piano accents and washed out acoustic guitar, then shoving off to cheeky playfulness into the next few tracks. “Closer You Are” and “Motor Away” are other notable melodies that any other band would stretch into forgettable drivel.

The appeal of Guided By Voices is in their free-spirited style. The songs would feel shy for their short lengths had they not been backed by Pollard’s charisma and confidence behind the (likely very inexpensive) microphone. While the B-side doesn’t contain as many snappy tracks, it does hold interest in cuts like “My Valuable Hunting Knife” and “Gold Hick.” “Striped White Jets” also impresses for its use of dissonance and tension, elements that are otherwise hardly touched on the record. There’s a rhythmic snoring sound on “Ex-Supermodel” which is either annoying or entertaining depending on your mood and “Chicken Blows” throws Pollard overboard to sing from underwater. “Always Crush Me” is neat for diversifying the instrumentation while maintaining the lo-fi ambiance and the album ends with heavier guitars on “Alright.” 

Turning on Alien Lanes for the first time is like blindly picking through an assortment of candy: you have no clue what to expect from the arrangements and production of each individual track, but you can know for sure that each will feature sweet, hooky vocal melodies. At its worst, Alien Lanes is reminiscent of late-night channel surfing, as your brain numbs over with each passing snippet. Yet there is a charm to the brevity, as it is clear that genuine heart and thought went into crafting each individual track. Pollard here feels like a daydreamer running through his ideas passionately in front of the mirror, though instead of hiding away or falling victim to perfectionism, he’s invited his friends over and said “fuck it, let’s record.”

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