Album Review: Guided By Voices – Let’s Go Eat The Factory

Guided By Voices
Let’s Go Eat The Factory
Guided by Voices Inc./ Fire Records

You may have missed the charming Indie Rock with the absurd lyrics and psychedelic feelings of Guided By Voices from long ago, but they are back and fans will not be disappointed. January first marked the release of their first album, Let’s Go Eat The Factory, since their disbandment in 2004, and another album is scheduled for release May of this year.

The reunion consists of their “classic” lineup (1993-1996): Robert Pollard, Mitch Mitchell, Greg Demos, Kevin Fennel and Tobin Sprout; all of whom reunited last year for Matador Records’ 21st anniversary concert, which led to a national reunion tour. Core band member and songwriter Robert Pollard seems to contain a never-ending flow of creativity. After the disbandment, Pollard embarked on 13 solo projects, and wrote most of the tracks for this album, with six tracks written by Tobin Sprout.

Recorded in their garages and living rooms, Let’s Go Eat The Factory retains that psychedelic guitar-driven rock that Guided By Voices are known for. The majority of the tracks are short, each lasting until the two-minute mark. With most of the tracks, fans will not be disappointed. Top cuts include “Laundry and Lasers,” “Spiderfighter,” and “The Unsinkable Fat Dominos.” Fans looking for tracks like “I Am A Scientist” from Bee Thousand (1994), with the delightful, smile-inducing lyrics, will find the same with “Doughnut For The Snowman” and “Hang Mr. Kite.” However, there are a few fallbacks: “The Big Hat and Toy Show,” “Either Nelson,” and a few others sound like sloppy, experimental jamming sessions and are best to be skipped over.

It has been some 15 years since this Guided By Voices lineup has been together, but Let’s Go Eat the Factory is proof that their charismatic, Garage meets Classic Rock sound has not faltered, not even one little bit.

– Raquel M. Dreesen

robertpollard.net