The best thing about Guided by Voices is just how perfectly odd they are. Countless albums, a signature sound that is simultaneously instantly recognisable and impossible to pinpoint. They released new album Let’s Eat the Factory late last year, and it’s unpredicatble, inconsistent, brilliant, strange and ultimately great. So, just like all their other records then. Here they are with ‘Teenage FBI’ from 1999s Do the Collapse.
Filed under: General Stuff | Tagged: do the collapse, guided by voices, let's eat the factory, robert pollard, teenage fbi | Leave a Comment »
Washington DC currently resides under 7 inches of snow. That’s pretty chilly, but not everything glacial is bad. Have a look at one of the US City’s latest exports, post-punk outfit Dot Dash. Monochrome harmonies sit atop a spiky backdrop of slashing guitars and thundering basslines. it’s fundamentally then, now and timeless for those of us who like our rock angular yet accessible.
The album, the Brit Award 2012 press release tells us, is not dead. Despite the growth in single track purchases thanks to iTunes et al, many so-called serious artists are still putting out what we used to call LPs. It’s a good thing, too. Is there anything as thrilling as the perfect album? When an artist gets it all correct, from track order to album length to artwork, well, it’s timeless.
Not likely to be a week going down in music history, this. Indeed, if you were a prospector who made their living by searching out new music, you’d likely struggle to get food ion the table this week. the pickings are slim. Really thin. Kate Moss thin. Svelte. Tiny. Basically, there’s no reason to get excited.
Would you go out tonight if you only had a stitch to wear? Well, the world of music wants to help. There’s no shortage of sartorial options available. From the outlandish to the plain, we’re bound to found something which suits you, sir. Let’s have a look:
The first week in January is rarely fun. No matter how much you may profess to hate Christmas, there’s lots to do. People to see, places to go and presents. The telly is better, the pubs are warmer, the drink more plentiful. Work is calmer, people are nicer.
A tribute to the late and much lamented front man of the seminal Gun Club was always going to be tough for Howlin’ Whippet to resist. So he didn’t.
Luke Haines has a well-deserved reputation for being caustic, but no-one could accuse him of cynicism of his spellbinding tribute to the giants of grappling. 9 and a half Psychedelic Meditations on British Wrestling of the 70s and Early 80s is exactly that. Big Daddy gets a Casio keyboard and falls in love with the possibilities. Catweazle reflects on his other-worldiness. Rollerball Rocco combats his foes as well as his restless mind. It is, no doubt, mental. But it’s a testament to Haines the songwriter that it is so beautiful.
