27-12-2011, 18:04
online listen
got a jump on the new year, as this isn't even out yet
was hungry for something new so went searching in cyberspace
can't believe as long as these guys have been around, I haven't heard them, that I remember
hard to get a handle on this one with 21 songs in 42 minutes
once you get into one, it's gone
most are under 2 minutes
only the last one is more than 4, sort of psychedelic Beatle sounding to me, but not available
comes up far short of the list
1.3 from me and yet to be graded by the pros at allmusic
from the album - Doughnut For A Snowman
Doughnut For A Snowman : Guided By Voices - YouTube
released Jan 17th, 2012
![[Image: r08655lyuem.jpg]](http://image.allmusic.com/00/amg/cov200/drr000/r086/r08655lyuem.jpg)
Bio - from allmusic
Inspired equally by jangle pop and arty post-punk, Guided by Voices created a series of trebly, hissy indie rock
records filled with infectiously brief pop songs that fell somewhere between the British Invasion and prog rock.
After recording six self-released albums between 1986 and 1992, the Dayton, Ohio-based band attracted a handful of
fans within the American indie rock underground. With the 1994 release of Bee Thousand, the group became an
unexpected alternative rock sensation, winning positive reviews throughout the mainstream music press and signing a
larger distribution deal with Matador Records. Despite all of the attention, the bandmembers never changed their
aesthetic, continuing to record their albums on cheap four-track tape decks and thereby limiting their potential
audience, yet that devotion to lo-fi indie rock helped Guided by Voices maintain a sizable cult during the late
'90s.
Schoolteacher Robert Pollard formed Guided by Voices in the early '80s. Throughout the group's history, Pollard was
at the center, writing the majority of the songs and leading each incarnation of the band. During the '80s, Pollard
was frequently joined by his brother Jim, who continued to write songs for the group even after his departure in
the late '80s. Guided by Voices didn't become a full-fledged band until guitarist Tobin Sprout and bassist Dan
Toohey joined the group in 1985. A year later, the group released an EP, Forever Since Breakfast, on the local
indie I Wanna Records. Guided by Voices released their first full-length album, Devil Between My Toes, on their own
G Records in 1987; it was followed several months later by Sandbox, which appeared on Halo. Self-Inflicted Aerial
Nostalgia was released on Halo in 1989 and Same Place the Fly Got Smashed appeared on Rocket #9 Records in 1990.
During the latter half of the '80s, Guided by Voices was essentially a hobby. The band rarely performed, and a wide
array of musicians appeared on the group's albums -- according to some estimations, nearly 40 musicians passed
through the band during its first decade. Nearly all of the Guided by Voices albums before Vampire on Titus were
recorded in Steve Wilbur's eight-track studio in his home garage; Wilbur occasionally played guitar and bass on the
records. Guided by Voices added Mitch Mitchell (rhythm guitar) and Kevin Fennell (drums) around the time of
Propeller (1992), which was released on Rockathon Records.
Prior to 1993's Vampire on Titus, all of Guided by Voices' records were essentially interchangeable musically, and
none were widely available. Vampire on Titus was the first album the band released on the Cleveland-based indie
label Scat, and the wider distribution meant the record was heard by a larger audience. Soon, the group had won
fans like fellow Dayton native Kim Deal (Pixies, Breeders) and Sonic Youth's Thurston Moore. Later in 1993, the
band began playing live for the first time in several years, with Greg Demos replacing bassist Toohey. By the
spring of 1994, Scat had entered a national distribution deal with Matador Records. Bee Thousand was the first
album released under the deal, and it became a surprise word-of-mouth hit, earning positive reviews from mainstream
publications like Rolling Stone and Entertainment Weekly. Pollard had quit teaching shortly before the spring
release of Bee Thousand, and the group toured heavily behind the album, appearing on the second stage at several
Lollapalooza dates. By the fall, GBV's video for "I Am a Scientist" was aired a handful of times on MTV. Demos left
the band in late 1994 to study law and was replaced by music journalist Jim Greer.
By the release of 1995's Alien Lanes, GBV had joined Matador's official roster; their contract with Scat was
completed with the spring release of Box, a five-disc box set containing the band's pre-Propeller albums. Alien
Lanes was greeted with positive reviews upon its March release, and the group embarked on its first full-scale
American tour. Greer left the band before the recording for Under the Bushes Under the Stars, which was released in
spring of 1996. That fall, Pollard and Tobin Sprout both released solo albums on the same day; the records were
quickly followed by an album-length EP a month after their release. As the solo albums indicated, Pollard and
Sprout had a falling out during the group's extensive tour earlier that year, which resulted in Robert firing the
rest of the group.
At the end of 1996, Pollard recorded the next Guided by Voices record, Mag Earwhig!, supported by the Cleveland
garage punk band Cobra Verde. In 1999, Guided by Voices left Matador to sign with TVT Records, who paired the band
with producer Ric Ocasek in hopes of giving GBV's label debut, Do the Collapse, a more radio-friendly sound.
Pollard, however, allowed fans of his older work to revel in his lo-fi period with Suitcase: Failed Experiments and
Trashed Aircraft, a four-disc box set featuring 100 unreleased songs recorded over the space of 25 years. While
GBV's second album for TVT, 2001's polished and hard-rocking Isolation Drills, received strong reviews, the band
hadn't expanded its fan base far beyond its loyal cult, and in 2002 GBV returned to Matador with Universal Truths
and Cycles, as well as releasing a number of side projects through Pollard's reactivated Rockathon label.
In the spring of 2004, Pollard startled his fans with the announcement that he would be breaking up Guided by
Voices later that year. The band's supposed final album, Half Smiles of the Decomposed, was released the following
August, and the resulting farewell tour concluded with a New Year's Eve show in Chicago. Even broken up, 2005 was a
busy year for GBV. Pollard signed with Chapel Hill's Merge Records and announced plans for a 2006 solo album. Rock
critic and former bandmember Jim Greer authored the book Guided by Voices: A Brief History: Twenty-One Years of
Hunting Accidents in the Forests of Rock and Roll. There was another box set of unreleased material, this one
entitled Suitcase 2: American Superdream Wow, and the 1992 album Propeller was reissued. To add to the accumulation
of GBV material, a live album, Live from Austin TX, was released in 2007, showcasing a performance recorded in
November 2004 for the PBS series Austin City Limits during the band's farewell tour. In 2010, Pollard and the 1993
-1996 lineup of GBV reunited to play a show at the Matador Records 21st anniversary party. They proceeded to tour
again, and in 2011 announced they were working on new material. The following year, GBV released their first new
album in eight years, Let's Go Eat the Factory.
Album Review - from npr
Of all the bands that have reformed in recent years, Guided By Voices return in 2010 not only seemed the least
surprising, it felt inevitable. After all, frontman Robert Pollard never truly went away. Pollard officially
disbanded the group at the end of 2004 following its "final" album, Half Smiles of the Decomposed, and a "farewell"
tour. But in the seven years since, the impossibly prolific indie rocker has released a staggering 13(!) solo
recordings. Even for the most devoted of fans, it can be hard to keep up.
Perhaps the more surprising detail in GBV's return is the reunion of the band's so-called "classic" lineup from
1993 to 1996 â including Charles Mitchell (guitars), Greg Demos (bass), Kevin Fennel (drums) and most notably
multi-instrumentalist and co-writer Tobin Sprout, who reportedly left the band in '96 after a falling out with
Pollard. While only a few years, this era arguably produced their best work. And by reuniting, the influential
indie rock band appears to be making strides to strengthen its legacy after a long absence. Guided By Voices
originally got back together last year for an anniversary concert for its longtime label, Matador Records, but that
soon turned into a full-on reunion tour. Now, after touring behind older material, Guided By Voices finally has a
new record, Let's Go Eat The Factory, an album of short, lo-fi pop songs that fit right in with the band's
repertoire.
Let's Go Eat The Factory is, for better and worse, a prototypical Guided By Voices album â it's 41 minutes long and
has 21 songs, with the shortest ("The Things That Never Need") clocking in at less than a minute. Comparatively,
the longest, "We Won't Apologize For The Human Race," at four minutes lasts an eternity. Robert Pollard never
ceases to have another 20 new ideas in his back pocket and he tends to write and record so quickly that these
nuggets with a lot of potential are abandoned before they have a chance to be further crafted, let alone earn a
second verse. As a result, many of his records, both with GBV and solo, can be somewhat inconsistent. Still, while
Let's Go Eat The Factory is less a complete album than the latest batch of songs, there's plenty to like â a
melodic hook, a lyrical phrase, a killer guitar riff, some grungy power chords.
The strongest songs are those that feel most developed: There's the opener, "Laundry And Lasers," a brash fuzzed
out banger; "Spiderfighter," a twangy rocker that shifts to a soft piano ballad; "Old Bones," a haunting pop song
accompanied by synths and keyboard strings; and "Waves," a droning shoegazer with muffled voices and thrashing
guitars, but also the most sonically interesting. There are also several great shorter songs that could certainly
be fleshed out: "My Europa," with its dreamy twang and the jangly "Chocolate Boy," which is easily the catchiest
song on the record.
While Let's Go Eat The Factory may fall short of fan expectation and living up to the magic of Guided By Voices'
best work, it's at least an encouraging step. Like so many GBV and Robert Pollard albums, this collection is a
snapshot of where the band is at this exact moment, some stuff works, some doesn't. But it certainly succeeds in
capturing the immediacy of Robert Pollard and company's creative process. All that said, they're hardly leaving us
much time to dwell on any one song too long. True to form, Guided By Voices plans to quickly follow up Let's Go Eat
The Factory with a second record of new material in May 2012 and Pollard has yet another solo record of his own
coming in March. They just can't help themselves.
Track Listing
1 Laundry and Lasers
2 The Head
3 Doughnut For a Snowman
4 Spiderfighter
5 Hang Mr. Kite
6 God Loves Us
7 The Unsinkable Fats Domino
8 Who Invented the Sun
9 The Big Hat and Toy Show
10 Imperial Racehorsing
11 How I Met My Mother
12 Waves
13 My Europa
14 Chocolate Boy
15 The Things That Never Need
16 Either Nelson
17 Cyclone Utilities (Remember Your Birthday)
18 Old Bones
19 Go Rolling Home
20 The Room Taking Shape
21 We Won't Apologize For the Human Race
got a jump on the new year, as this isn't even out yet
was hungry for something new so went searching in cyberspace
can't believe as long as these guys have been around, I haven't heard them, that I remember
hard to get a handle on this one with 21 songs in 42 minutes
once you get into one, it's gone
most are under 2 minutes
only the last one is more than 4, sort of psychedelic Beatle sounding to me, but not available
comes up far short of the list
1.3 from me and yet to be graded by the pros at allmusic
from the album - Doughnut For A Snowman
Doughnut For A Snowman : Guided By Voices - YouTube
released Jan 17th, 2012
Bio - from allmusic
Inspired equally by jangle pop and arty post-punk, Guided by Voices created a series of trebly, hissy indie rock
records filled with infectiously brief pop songs that fell somewhere between the British Invasion and prog rock.
After recording six self-released albums between 1986 and 1992, the Dayton, Ohio-based band attracted a handful of
fans within the American indie rock underground. With the 1994 release of Bee Thousand, the group became an
unexpected alternative rock sensation, winning positive reviews throughout the mainstream music press and signing a
larger distribution deal with Matador Records. Despite all of the attention, the bandmembers never changed their
aesthetic, continuing to record their albums on cheap four-track tape decks and thereby limiting their potential
audience, yet that devotion to lo-fi indie rock helped Guided by Voices maintain a sizable cult during the late
'90s.
Schoolteacher Robert Pollard formed Guided by Voices in the early '80s. Throughout the group's history, Pollard was
at the center, writing the majority of the songs and leading each incarnation of the band. During the '80s, Pollard
was frequently joined by his brother Jim, who continued to write songs for the group even after his departure in
the late '80s. Guided by Voices didn't become a full-fledged band until guitarist Tobin Sprout and bassist Dan
Toohey joined the group in 1985. A year later, the group released an EP, Forever Since Breakfast, on the local
indie I Wanna Records. Guided by Voices released their first full-length album, Devil Between My Toes, on their own
G Records in 1987; it was followed several months later by Sandbox, which appeared on Halo. Self-Inflicted Aerial
Nostalgia was released on Halo in 1989 and Same Place the Fly Got Smashed appeared on Rocket #9 Records in 1990.
During the latter half of the '80s, Guided by Voices was essentially a hobby. The band rarely performed, and a wide
array of musicians appeared on the group's albums -- according to some estimations, nearly 40 musicians passed
through the band during its first decade. Nearly all of the Guided by Voices albums before Vampire on Titus were
recorded in Steve Wilbur's eight-track studio in his home garage; Wilbur occasionally played guitar and bass on the
records. Guided by Voices added Mitch Mitchell (rhythm guitar) and Kevin Fennell (drums) around the time of
Propeller (1992), which was released on Rockathon Records.
Prior to 1993's Vampire on Titus, all of Guided by Voices' records were essentially interchangeable musically, and
none were widely available. Vampire on Titus was the first album the band released on the Cleveland-based indie
label Scat, and the wider distribution meant the record was heard by a larger audience. Soon, the group had won
fans like fellow Dayton native Kim Deal (Pixies, Breeders) and Sonic Youth's Thurston Moore. Later in 1993, the
band began playing live for the first time in several years, with Greg Demos replacing bassist Toohey. By the
spring of 1994, Scat had entered a national distribution deal with Matador Records. Bee Thousand was the first
album released under the deal, and it became a surprise word-of-mouth hit, earning positive reviews from mainstream
publications like Rolling Stone and Entertainment Weekly. Pollard had quit teaching shortly before the spring
release of Bee Thousand, and the group toured heavily behind the album, appearing on the second stage at several
Lollapalooza dates. By the fall, GBV's video for "I Am a Scientist" was aired a handful of times on MTV. Demos left
the band in late 1994 to study law and was replaced by music journalist Jim Greer.
By the release of 1995's Alien Lanes, GBV had joined Matador's official roster; their contract with Scat was
completed with the spring release of Box, a five-disc box set containing the band's pre-Propeller albums. Alien
Lanes was greeted with positive reviews upon its March release, and the group embarked on its first full-scale
American tour. Greer left the band before the recording for Under the Bushes Under the Stars, which was released in
spring of 1996. That fall, Pollard and Tobin Sprout both released solo albums on the same day; the records were
quickly followed by an album-length EP a month after their release. As the solo albums indicated, Pollard and
Sprout had a falling out during the group's extensive tour earlier that year, which resulted in Robert firing the
rest of the group.
At the end of 1996, Pollard recorded the next Guided by Voices record, Mag Earwhig!, supported by the Cleveland
garage punk band Cobra Verde. In 1999, Guided by Voices left Matador to sign with TVT Records, who paired the band
with producer Ric Ocasek in hopes of giving GBV's label debut, Do the Collapse, a more radio-friendly sound.
Pollard, however, allowed fans of his older work to revel in his lo-fi period with Suitcase: Failed Experiments and
Trashed Aircraft, a four-disc box set featuring 100 unreleased songs recorded over the space of 25 years. While
GBV's second album for TVT, 2001's polished and hard-rocking Isolation Drills, received strong reviews, the band
hadn't expanded its fan base far beyond its loyal cult, and in 2002 GBV returned to Matador with Universal Truths
and Cycles, as well as releasing a number of side projects through Pollard's reactivated Rockathon label.
In the spring of 2004, Pollard startled his fans with the announcement that he would be breaking up Guided by
Voices later that year. The band's supposed final album, Half Smiles of the Decomposed, was released the following
August, and the resulting farewell tour concluded with a New Year's Eve show in Chicago. Even broken up, 2005 was a
busy year for GBV. Pollard signed with Chapel Hill's Merge Records and announced plans for a 2006 solo album. Rock
critic and former bandmember Jim Greer authored the book Guided by Voices: A Brief History: Twenty-One Years of
Hunting Accidents in the Forests of Rock and Roll. There was another box set of unreleased material, this one
entitled Suitcase 2: American Superdream Wow, and the 1992 album Propeller was reissued. To add to the accumulation
of GBV material, a live album, Live from Austin TX, was released in 2007, showcasing a performance recorded in
November 2004 for the PBS series Austin City Limits during the band's farewell tour. In 2010, Pollard and the 1993
-1996 lineup of GBV reunited to play a show at the Matador Records 21st anniversary party. They proceeded to tour
again, and in 2011 announced they were working on new material. The following year, GBV released their first new
album in eight years, Let's Go Eat the Factory.
Album Review - from npr
Of all the bands that have reformed in recent years, Guided By Voices return in 2010 not only seemed the least
surprising, it felt inevitable. After all, frontman Robert Pollard never truly went away. Pollard officially
disbanded the group at the end of 2004 following its "final" album, Half Smiles of the Decomposed, and a "farewell"
tour. But in the seven years since, the impossibly prolific indie rocker has released a staggering 13(!) solo
recordings. Even for the most devoted of fans, it can be hard to keep up.
Perhaps the more surprising detail in GBV's return is the reunion of the band's so-called "classic" lineup from
1993 to 1996 â including Charles Mitchell (guitars), Greg Demos (bass), Kevin Fennel (drums) and most notably
multi-instrumentalist and co-writer Tobin Sprout, who reportedly left the band in '96 after a falling out with
Pollard. While only a few years, this era arguably produced their best work. And by reuniting, the influential
indie rock band appears to be making strides to strengthen its legacy after a long absence. Guided By Voices
originally got back together last year for an anniversary concert for its longtime label, Matador Records, but that
soon turned into a full-on reunion tour. Now, after touring behind older material, Guided By Voices finally has a
new record, Let's Go Eat The Factory, an album of short, lo-fi pop songs that fit right in with the band's
repertoire.
Let's Go Eat The Factory is, for better and worse, a prototypical Guided By Voices album â it's 41 minutes long and
has 21 songs, with the shortest ("The Things That Never Need") clocking in at less than a minute. Comparatively,
the longest, "We Won't Apologize For The Human Race," at four minutes lasts an eternity. Robert Pollard never
ceases to have another 20 new ideas in his back pocket and he tends to write and record so quickly that these
nuggets with a lot of potential are abandoned before they have a chance to be further crafted, let alone earn a
second verse. As a result, many of his records, both with GBV and solo, can be somewhat inconsistent. Still, while
Let's Go Eat The Factory is less a complete album than the latest batch of songs, there's plenty to like â a
melodic hook, a lyrical phrase, a killer guitar riff, some grungy power chords.
The strongest songs are those that feel most developed: There's the opener, "Laundry And Lasers," a brash fuzzed
out banger; "Spiderfighter," a twangy rocker that shifts to a soft piano ballad; "Old Bones," a haunting pop song
accompanied by synths and keyboard strings; and "Waves," a droning shoegazer with muffled voices and thrashing
guitars, but also the most sonically interesting. There are also several great shorter songs that could certainly
be fleshed out: "My Europa," with its dreamy twang and the jangly "Chocolate Boy," which is easily the catchiest
song on the record.
While Let's Go Eat The Factory may fall short of fan expectation and living up to the magic of Guided By Voices'
best work, it's at least an encouraging step. Like so many GBV and Robert Pollard albums, this collection is a
snapshot of where the band is at this exact moment, some stuff works, some doesn't. But it certainly succeeds in
capturing the immediacy of Robert Pollard and company's creative process. All that said, they're hardly leaving us
much time to dwell on any one song too long. True to form, Guided By Voices plans to quickly follow up Let's Go Eat
The Factory with a second record of new material in May 2012 and Pollard has yet another solo record of his own
coming in March. They just can't help themselves.
Track Listing
1 Laundry and Lasers
2 The Head
3 Doughnut For a Snowman
4 Spiderfighter
5 Hang Mr. Kite
6 God Loves Us
7 The Unsinkable Fats Domino
8 Who Invented the Sun
9 The Big Hat and Toy Show
10 Imperial Racehorsing
11 How I Met My Mother
12 Waves
13 My Europa
14 Chocolate Boy
15 The Things That Never Need
16 Either Nelson
17 Cyclone Utilities (Remember Your Birthday)
18 Old Bones
19 Go Rolling Home
20 The Room Taking Shape
21 We Won't Apologize For the Human Race
