THERE’S every chance that by the time you’ve finished reading this sentence Guided By Voices will have recorded and released their next three albums, such is their legendary work ethic and productivity.
I don’t recall reading a single feature on Robert Pollard which hasn’t focused on this incredible feat of industriousness (107 albums and counting); and whilst I’m fully aware I’m adding to that cliche right now I do feel duty bound to repeat the fact.
Every time I hear a Guided By Voices song I like it, but the almost insurmountable vastness of their back catalogue seems too much to grasp. Where would you even begin?
If this song is where you climb on board you might well be wooed by the glam rock chug, the simple riff and purposely ‘dumb’ rock n’ roll lyrics: “Haircut Sphinx drinks and drinks, drinks drinks drinks, her baby is wild, well he’s an only child”. Marc Bolan would be proud of that one for sure! In fact, you’ll detect morsels of T-Rex, early Alice Cooper, The Sweet and a large slice of Tommy-era Who throughout this tune; and yet somehow the band still manage to stamp their own DNA all over it and make it unmistakably Guided By Voices.
That might well be the secret to their longevity. Robert Pollard can adopt some almost over-familiar rock tropes and reshape them into something vital and exciting.
This new track should keep the band’s faithful fans happy and perhaps reel in a few brave newcomers who dare to look up at that mountainous back catalogue and think it’s worth the climb.
Guided by Voices’ Mirrored Aztec will be released on August 21st: pre-order yours at https://www.rockathonrecords.com/
