The Spill Magazine The Spill Magazine
The Spill Magazine The Spill Magazine
The Spill Magazine The Spill Magazine
  • Reviews
    • Album Reviews
    • Features
    • Live Reviews
    • Festivals
  • Portraits
  • Headlines
    • News
    • Contests
    • Events
    • Entertainment Headlines
    • Concert Listings
    • Toronto Concert Venues
  • New Music
    • Premieres
    • TOTD
  • Books + Movies
  • Scene Unseen
  • About
13
new
SPILL NEW MUSIC: ISLANDS ANNOUNCE FIRST ALBUM IN FIVE YEARS ‘ISLOMANIA’ + SHARE “(WE LIKE TO) DO IT WITH THE LIGHTS ON” VIA ROYAL MOUNTAIN RECORDS
SPILL NEW MUSIC: PAUL WELLER ANNOUNCES NEW ALBUM ‘FAT POP (VOLUME 1)’ SET TO BE RELEASED MAY 14 ON POLYDOR RECORDS | NEW SONG + VIDEO FOR “COSMIC FRINGES” OUT NOW
SPILL VIDEO PREMIERE: SWALLOWS – “IN THE SHADOW OF THE SEVEN STARS”
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: MONOWHALES – DAYTONA BLEACH
SPILL NEWS: GREG KEELOR ANNOUNCES NEW ALBUM ‘SHARE THE LOVE’ WITH VIDEO FOR THE FIRST SINGLE “WONDER”
SPILL VIDEO PREMIERE: BARA HARI – “WEAPON”
SPILL VIDEO PREMIERE: ELSKA – “ON THE SHOULDERS OF GIANTS”
SPILL VIDEO PREMIERE: CAPTAIN DANGER – “HOLLY”
SPILL CONTEST: MANNEQUIN VANITY RECORDS GIVEAWAY – ENTER TO WIN A GIANT MVR PRIZE PACK!
SPILL ALBUM PREMIERE: CHARLIE NIELAND – DIVISIONS
SPILL FEATURE: NEW HIGHS, NEW LOWS – A CONVERSATION WITH WE WERE SHARKS
SPILL MUSIC PREMIERE: CITYLIGHTZ – “MY LIFE”
SPILL NEW MUSIC: CLOUD NOTHINGS’ “NOTHING WITHOUT YOU” FROM THE BAND’S EIGHTH STUDIO ALBUM ‘THE SHADOW I REMEMBER’ OUT NOW VIA CARPARK RECORDS
  • MORE
  • Reviews
    • Album Reviews
    • Features
    • Live Reviews
    • Festivals
  • Portraits
  • Headlines
    • News
    • Contests
    • Events
    • Entertainment Headlines
    • Concert Listings
    • Toronto Concert Venues
  • New Music
    • Premieres
    • TOTD
  • Books + Movies
  • Scene Unseen
  • About
  • Spill Menu
    • Reviews
      • Album Reviews
      • Features
      • Live Reviews
      • Festivals
    • Portraits
    • Headlines
      • News
      • Contests
      • Events
      • Entertainment Headlines
      • Concert Listings
      • Toronto Concert Venues
    • New Music
      • Premieres
      • TOTD
    • Books + Movies
    • Scene Unseen
    • About
Album Reviews
561
previous article
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: CHRIS CORNELL - NO ONE SINGS LIKE YOU ANYMORE
next article
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: BELLE AND SEBASTIAN - WHAT TO LOOK FOR IN SUMMER

SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: GUIDED BY VOICES – STYLES WE PAID FOR

Guided By Voices

Guided By Voices
Styles We Paid For
Rockathon Records

The new Guided By Voices album wasn’t supposed to be like this. At the beginning of the year, band mastermind Robert Pollard was plotting an album recorded entirely with analog equipment, titled Before Computers. It was a fitting move for a veteran band who first made their name on power pop hidden in tape hiss. Then the isolation hit, and Guided By Voices, like so many of us, were forced to work from home.

Instead of the original back-to-basics approach, Styles We Paid For was recorded separately, the members separated from each other as they all live in different states, recording their parts alone and then working with their producer to piece them together. It shows. To compensate for the lack of interplay, the band leaned heavily on production. Guitars are spit-shine polished in a way that adds crunch but takes out all of the typical warmth. The rhythm section also gets an extra oomph that doesn’t fit the songs. Rather than making the band sound dark and aggressive, which seems to have been the goal, the production choices add a strangely inorganic effect.

Of course, none of this would have mattered if Pollard was up to his usual level of melodic brilliance, but unfortunately the earworms are only scattered. While nothing is bad, only a few songs truly stick out. With very little instrumental variation and few changes in tempo songs quickly start to blend into each other.

Like every Guided By Voices album, Styles We Paid For still has some moments that are absolutely perfect. The best songs here happen when Pollard embraces his inner prog rock weirdo, adding unexpected instrumental flourishes and abrupt tempo changes that break up the onslaught of repetitive songs. Highlight “Endless Seafood” weds jangle pop strumming to one of the bands most driving melodies, before slipping into a dreamy second half with a string section and Pollard crooning like he’s Bowie. The whole thing is both epic and, in typical Guided By Voices fashion, still clocks in at under three minutes. “War of The Devils” meanwhile, picks up speed without warning with just seconds left on its run time, before imploding into noise. A few more risks would have done wonders for the project.

Robert Pollard will never sound like anyone but Robert Pollard. For many, that will be reason enough to tune in to each new GBV album, of which there are always more. Styles We Paid For is the band’s third release of 2020, and the ninth in the last three years. You’ve got to respect the band for keeping their streak alive during a year where no one would fault them for laying low. While Guided By Voices are too consistent for Styles We Paid For to qualify as an actual misfire, it’ll probably be forgotten when the band inevitably releases its next deluge of new music.



Artist Links

website_flat_2016 facebook_flat_2016 twitter_flat_2016 instagram_flat_2016

Item Reviewed

SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: GUIDED BY VOICES – STYLES WE PAID FOR

Author

Matt Morris

Here's what we think...
Spill Rating
Fan Rating
Rate Here
New Criteria
10
8.9
6.0
Total Spill Rating
8.9
Total Fan Rating
2 ratings
You have rated this
Album Reviews
album reviewalbum reviewsdoug gillardguided by voicesrockathon recordsstyles we paid for
album review, album reviews, doug gillard, guided by voices, rockathon records, styles we paid for
About the Author
Matt Morris
Avatar
Spill Magazine strives to keep our readers up to date with news and events in the music industry. We keep you informed of the most recent information regarding new releases, tour dates, and information items about your favourite artists.
RELATED ARTICLES
album reviewalbum reviewsdoug gillard
 
8.0
Monowhales

SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: MONOWHALES – DAYTONA BLEACH

by Gerrod Harris on March 5, 2021
MONOWHALES Daytona Bleach Independent Over the years, Toronto’s MONOWHALES have become an essential band among the independent scene known for their impressive alt-pop sound and their [...]
 
6.0
Melvins
10

SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: MELVINS – GLUEY PORCH TREATMENTS (VINYL REISSUE)

by Nathan Pike on February 26, 2021
Melvins Gluey Porch Treatments (Vinyl Reissue) Ipecac Recordings Years ago in the small town of Montesano, WA, a three-piece band was playing with a musical fire they [...]
 
10
NOFX
9.9

SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: NOFX – SINGLE ALBUM

by Jake Collier on February 26, 2021
NOFX Single Album Fat Wreck Chords NOFX is still around 40 years since their early beginnings, and what is there left to do when the rest of their era’s punk bands have fallen or sold out? Well, [...]
 
8.0
Alice Cooper

SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: ALICE COOPER – DETROIT STORIES

by Gerrod Harris on February 26, 2021
Alice Cooper Detroit Stories earMUSIC For his 28th studio album, Alice Cooper has returned with Detroit Stories, his first record since 2017’s Paranormal. The album features15 tracks [...]
 
8.0
Menahan Street Band

SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: MENAHAN STREET BAND – THE EXCITING SOUNDS OF MENAHAN STREET BAND

by Gerrod Harris on February 26, 2021
Menahan Street Band The Exciting Sounds Of Menahan Street Band Daptone Records Perhaps best known as the backing bands for late neo-soul icon Charles [...]
Latest Album Reviews
View All
 
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: MONOWHALES – DAYTONA BLEACH
8.0
 
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: MELVINS – GLUEY PORCH TREATMENTS (VINYL R...
6.0
10
 
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: NOFX – SINGLE ALBUM
10
9.9
 
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: ALICE COOPER – DETROIT STORIES
8.0
 
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: MENAHAN STREET BAND – THE EXCITING SOUNDS...
8.0
Latest Live Reviews
View All
 
Lord Huron

SPILL LIVE REVIEW: LORD HURON ALIVE FROM WHISPERING PINES: EPISODE 2 OF 4 (VIRTUAL EVENT)

by Robert Defina on February 18, 2021
91
 
Small Town Titans

SPILL LIVE REVIEW: SMALL TOWN TITANS @ SMT HQ, YORK (PA)

by Gerrod Harris on February 6, 2021
36
 
Lord Huron

SPILL LIVE REVIEW: LORD HURON ALIVE FROM WHISPERING PINES: EPISODE 1 OF 4 (VIRTUAL EVENT)

by Robert Defina on January 7, 2021
427
 
Wardruna

SPILL LIVE REVIEW: WARDRUNA – ‘KVITRAVN’ PRESENTATION (ONLINE PERFORMANCE)

by Samantha Wu on December 10, 2020
199
 
Evanescence

SPILL LIVE REVIEW: EVANESCENCE @ ROCK FALCON STUDIO, NASHVILLE (TN)

by Melinda Welsh on December 5, 2020
63
Tweets by @spillmagazine

SPILL MAGAZINE MENU
  • Home | The Spill Magazine
  • Premieres
  • Album Reviews
  • Books + Movies
  • Features
  • Live Reviews
  • Festivals
  • Portraits
  • News
  • Events
  • Entertainment Headlines
  • Concert Listings
  • Toronto Concert Venues
  • About Us
  • Contests
  • New Music
  • Spill Magazine Contributors
  • TOTD
  • Privacy Policy
  • The Scene Unseen
  • Newsletter

Copyright © 2020 | The Spill Magazine
All Rights Reserved.

TRENDING RIGHT NOW
   
 
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: NOFX – SINGLE ALBUM
1902
 
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: FRONT LINE ASSEMBLY – MECHANICAL SOUL
682
 
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: PAUL McCARTNEY – McCARTNEY III
580
 
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: GUIDED BY VOICES – STYLES WE PAID FOR
561
 
SPILL MUSIC PREMIERE: CHURCH OF TREES FEAT. CAROLE POPE – “WORLD’S A BITCH”
464
 
SPILL LIVE REVIEW: LORD HURON ALIVE FROM WHISPERING PINES: EPISODE 1 OF 4 (VIRTUAL EVENT)
427
 
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: BLACK PISTOL FIRE – LOOK ALIVE
379
 
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: GEORGE THOROGOOD AND THE DESTROYERS – LIVE IN BOSTON, 1982: THE COMPLETE CONCERT
351
 
SPILL NEW MUSIC: “SHAMELESS” STAR WILLIAM H. MACY RELEASES DEBUT SINGLE “WHISKEY DELL” UNDER “WILLIE CREEKS” MONIKER
333
 
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: THE DIRTY NIL – FUCK ART
287
 
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: CHRIS CORNELL – NO ONE SINGS LIKE YOU ANYMORE
283
 
SPILL FEATURE: TRULY ORCHESTRATING HIS OWN LIFE – A CONVERSATION WITH RICK SPRINGFIELD
281
 
SPILL FEATURE: HIS STORY RIGHT NOW – A CONVERSATION WITH cEvin Key
276
ENTERTAINMENT HEADLINES