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Avg: 4.5 (363 ratings)
- Date Released: March 28, 1995
- Genre: Alternative/Punk
- Style: Indie Rock
- Label: Matador
A poptastic primer on lo-fi recording methods.
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We Say...
Think of this as “Bee Thousand and One.” The next album was bound to be a letdown of sorts, and Alien Lanes isn’t quite as dazzling as its predecessor, but still finds the band in peak form. It leads off with “A Salty Salute,” GbV’s theme song and a tribute to fans (“the club is open”). Alien Lanes is a primer on lo-fi recording methods. It’s impossible to imagine these songs done any other way. Except for “Motor Away,” which is just waiting for some enterprising alt-rock band to clean it up and turn it into a hit single. One consumer note: A better and rarer version of Alien Lanes’ “Game of Pricks” appears on Human Amusements.
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They Say...
It's surprising what a difference it makes when a musician knows someone will actually be hearing his work. After 1994's charmingly sloppy Bee Thousand gained Guided By Voices a nationwide cult following (instead of the local cult following they were accustomed to), 1995's Alien Lanes found Robert Pollard and his partners in hard pop cleaning up their act a bit. For the most part, Alien Lanes isn't radically different from Bee Thousand -- it was primarily recorded on a four-track cassette machine (and sounds like it), and Guided By Voices was still a garage band with more in the way of inspiration than chops. But the musicians have put a bit more care and focus into their performance on this set; the playing is tighter and sharper, and the band plays toward their strengths, pushing their occasional sloppiness into a harder, more rock-oriented direction. And if Pollard and Tobin Sprout were still obsessed with tiny fragments of pop song wonderment, they also rounded up a more consistent collection of them; there aren't quite as many obvious masterpieces as on Bee Thousand, but also fewer obvious mistakes, and the sequencing gives the album a more consistent flow than before. Pollard also made genuine inroads into more lyrically cognizant material (though don't fret, "Auditorium" and "Blimps Go 90" are as cryptic as ever), and "Watch Me Jumpstart," "Striped White Jets," and "Motor Away" are simply superb pop/rock songs. (Sprout also gets a few shining moments on "A Good Flying Bird" and "Straw Dogs.") Both Bee Thousand and Alien Lanes sound like they were made by a band of inspired amateurs with great ideas; the difference is that Alien Lanes suggests that Guided By Voices wanted to prove that they could turn pro some day.
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| 01. |  |
A Salty Salute |
1:29 |
|
| 02. | |
Evil Speakers |
0:58 |
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| 03. | |
Watch Me Jumpstart |
2:24 |
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| 04. | |
They're Not Witches |
0:51 |
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| 05. | |
As We Go Up, We Go Down |
1:37 |
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| 06. | |
(I Wanna Be A) Dumbcharger |
1:13 |
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| 07. | |
Game Of Pricks |
1:33 |
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| 08. | |
The Ugly Vision |
1:35 |
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| 09. | |
A Good Flying Bird |
1:07 |
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| 10. |
Cigarette Tricks |
0:18 |
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| 11. |
Pimple Zoo |
0:42 |
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| 12. | |
Big Chief Chinese Restaurant |
0:56 |
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| 13. | |
Closer You Are |
1:56 |
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| 14. | |
Auditorium |
1:02 |
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| 15. | |
Motor Away |
2:06 |
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| 16. |
Hit |
0:23 |
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| 17. | |
My Valuable Hunting Knife |
2:00 |
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| 18. |
Gold Hick |
0:30 |
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| 19. | |
King And Caroline |
1:35 |
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| 20. | |
Striped White Jets |
2:15 |
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| 21. | |
Ex-Supermodel |
1:06 |
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| 22. | |
Blimps Go 90 |
1:40 |
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| 23. | |
Strawdogs |
1:17 |
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| 24. | |
Chicken Blows |
2:21 |
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| 25. | |
Little Whirl |
1:46 |
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| 26. | |
My Son Cool |
1:41 |
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| 27. | |
Always Crush Me |
1:44 |
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| 28. | |
Alright |
2:56 |
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28 Total Tracks, 41:01 Total Length
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Playlists If you like Guided By Voices, check out these member playlists
Credits
- Guided by Voices - Main Performer // Kevin Fennell - ? // Bob Ludwig - Mastering // Tobin Sprout - Guitar // Robert Pollard - Vocals // Greg Demos - ? // Pete Jamison - ? // Mr. Japan - Producer // Jim Pollard - ? // Mitch Mitchell - Guitar // Jim Greer - ?
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