Boy, Guided by Voices has released a lot of albums lately, huh? Since their reunion, Bob Pollard's classic indie-rock band has been producing almost nonstop, releasing three albums -- Let's Go Eat the Factory, Class Clown Spots a UFO and The Bears for Lunch -- in 2012, and an EP called Down by the Racetrack just last week. There's another full-length called English Little League coming at the end of April, too.
With all that, you may find yourself saying, "I like Guided by Voices, but I don't have time to listen through all of those records!" Or maybe you're asking yourself, "where do I even begin with all this?" Well fear not, music fan who is short on time! I've listened to all three records and the new EP and herein is your listening guide to the ten best tracks spread out over the course of all those releases!
From Let's Go Eat the Factory:
"Doughnut for a Snowman" A jangly pop song straight out of the '70s, which ends up being one of the catchiest and most endearing indie-rock tracks released in 2012.
"Spiderfighter" "Spiderfighter" starts off with a slinky riff that sounds like the theme song for a '60s superhero as played by the Cramps, then becomes a piano ballad. It works because this is Guided by Voices we're talking about here.
"Imperial Racehorsing" Starting off slow and heavy, "Imperial Racehorsing" ends out with an exceptional, marching chorus and a guitar solo that, surprisingly, wouldn't sound out of place on an Iron Maiden record.
