ok so I have done a pretty shoddy job of keep up with my blogging; if I recall properly I’ve only done it once so far this semester. Oh well what can you do other than install a flux capacitor into a delorean and save Doc Brown. Anyway, since I feel like the only thing I’m really qualified to talk about is music that’s what I’ll do. Namely, I’m going to talk about Guided By Voices, one of my favourite bands.

Formed in the late 80s in Dayton, Ohio GBV (as they are known by people who do not enjoy typing a lot) were basically a garage band formed by a gang of drinking buddies and led by one Robert Pollard. Pollard was an english teacher by day, and probably one of the most naturally gifted songwriters of his generation. This guy can write catchy power pop like nobodies business.

Since they weren’t the greatest musicians and, as always, money was a factor, GBV’s earlier albums are prime examples of what was sometimes referred to as the Lo-Fi genre. Basically they recorded lots of songs, with an average length of 2 minutes, and recorded it all on cheapo 4-tracks that made their guitars fizz, vocals buzz, and drums thwok. All this means that sometimes there are some songs on GBV albums that are just annoying or really hard to listen to, but at the same time most of their albums (at least prior to 1996) are filled with some of the most catchy, clever, charming, and downright rocking music I’ve ever heard. Over the years GBV finally broke out and signed to one of the big indie labels (Matador I believe) and actually gained a decent sized following before breaking up in 2004.

I was really into them last summer after I got introduced to them by the singer of my old band, but I kinda took a break from them as I got into other stuff over the past school year. The other day I put their classic 1995 ablum Alien Lanes on my iPod while I was walking home from school and I walked around the block 2 extra times just so I could finish the album. I’ll be the first to admit I sometimes listen to weird or purposely difficult music, but GBV do not fall into this category. If you’re interested at all in checking them out I’d recommend the excellent best of they released in 2003; normally I don’t like best ofs but since GBV were so prolific and the fact that some of their albums can be kind of spotty means that a best of works as a really good introduction in their case.

Here are two awesomely lo-budget videos of 3 of my favourite GBV songs (2 for 1 in the second one)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zN9×6zckn18