Guided By Voices

Forgetting the cooler-than-thou aesthetics of indie rock's golden era, one can still enjoy Alien Lanes: a) because it's got good songs; and b) because...well, it's got good songs. Plus it's aged a whole lot better than Crooked Rain. "A Salty Salute" is one of those GBV songs that never ever, ever gets old no matter how many times you play it. "As We Go Up, We Go Down" comes at you straight as an arrow, minus all the lo-fi tricks that mark most GBV stuff, and ends up one of Pollard's most genuine and perfect songs. "Game of Pricks" does the same thing.

White men with guitars: this remains the paradigm for indie rock, college rock,
underground rock – whatever, nevermind. Still, despite its obsolescence due to politically
incorrect Caucasian maleness, this brand of indie rock still produces vital, exciting music
and continues to blaze into uncharted territory as well as rediscover territory long thought
settled. Many such groups ultimately find themselves shot from obscurity into th... More >