Guided By Voices, Universal Truths & Cycles (Matador) 9+
Remember when Guided By Voices sounded like they had the potential to truly be rock gods? You know, rather than just emulate, pay tribute, or remind you of rock gods? For me, that was about when Bee Thousand ('94) came out, when a handful of tracks sounded like Pollard had the Kinks held prisoner in his basement 4-track studio, feeding them lysergic acid. Seeing them play that year in a medium-sized bar made me imagine what it was like to see The High Numbers (The Who) during their weekly residency at the Railway Hotel in 1964. But then came the string of mediocre, disposable albums. Last year's hard rocking and catchy Isolation Drills ended their losing streak, and their major label stint. Back on Matador, the new album sounds like the quirky, sad, brilliant and tuneful Guided By Voices of old, but better. These days, that's as close to a rock god anyone is going to get. After trying their hand at slick commercial production, the band is back to producing themselves, with highly satisfying results. The sound is looser than recent albums, but far fuller than their early twee lo-fi efforts. "Wire Greyhounds" sets the tone, a 35 second teaser of melodic brilliance. "Skin Parade" has an acoustic intro that leads into a Slade-like stomper that recalls tunes on Vampire On Titus ('93). "Zap" is another short, pretty acoustic tune, and you can just tell we're approaching a real corker. Indeed, "Christian Animation Torch Carriers" is a classic. It begins slow and mournful, and gradually builds into a transcendent rocker, takes a few meandering twists and turns before returning to an uplifting chorus. "Cheyenne" is a sparkling, jangly sort of pop song that bands like The Shins have been striving for. "Back To The Lake" is by far my favorite track. It's the kind of song you wait breathlessly for at the show and scream and jump when they tear into it. It's a bittersweet breakup song that will be immortalized on many a mix CD. It might even be the kind of song where you recall exactly what was happening in your life in 2002 when you hear it in 2012. "Love 1" is pure, succinct poetry worthy of e.e. cummings. The brooding, contemplative "Storm Vibrations" lacks the immediate hooks, but it's obvious that Robert Pollard is at a revelatory crossroads. His lyrics recall Dylan's revelation of mature mixed emotions of still feeling love after a hard breakup on Blood On The Tracks -- "Confusing emotions - deliberately/Does it hurt you?/To love, I mean?" "Everywhere With Helicopter" overflows with classic powerchords, and guitar solos. "Car Language" is an impressively weighty slab of darkness, something about erotica with heavy machinery, with a dirgy beat that bumps and grinds, bathing itself in a shower of feedback sparks. The album winds up with a few shards of songs that could have been great were the Led Zeppelin acoustica of "The Ids Are Alright" and Bydsian whimsy of "Universal Truths And Cycles" were fleshed out. But what's a Guided By Voices album without some tasty scraps to leave you frustrated and wanting more? Most importantly, this album is the first GBV album to consistently pack emotional impact. Which I reckon makes Universal Truths And Cycles their best, don't you?
