Guided By Voices’ album takes trip back to ’90s

My introduction to Guided By Voices was the 1994 lo-fi release, Bee Thousand, and the following year’s Alien Lanes. Both were great albums and I always felt that Robert Pollard’s later offerings with different lineups didn’t quite live up to the those mid-90s efforts.

So I was thrilled to hear that years after retiring the band, he was putting the “classic” GBV lineup back together for a tour and–not one, but–two albums this year. The first of those albums, Let’s Go Eat the Factory, is now out. And while it’s no Bee Thousand or Alien Lanes, the new one definitely is a worthy follow to those great releases (especially the ultra quirky Bee Thousand). Almost all of the songs on Factory clock in under 3 minutes and more than half are shorter than 2 minutes.

Factory includes plenty of highlights (Laundry and Lasers, The Unsinkable Fats Domino) and some expected low points. But, overall, it’s a blast, especially for those of us who prefer the taste of classic GBV.

The Unsinkable Fats Domino – Guided By Voices

New video: Trash Talk’s ‘Slander’

Just say no to drugs kids? Sacramento thrashers Trash Talk have a new, highly entertaining Jay Howell-animated video for Slander, a song from the band’s 2011 EP Awake. The video is produced by Creature Skateboards, which is commemorating the collaboration with 400 Trash Talk skateboard decks. Jim Dirschberger directed the video.

A Place to Bury Strangers releases new video, ‘So Far Away’

Check out this cool new video from A Place to Bury Strangers. The visuals were produced with frontman Oliver Ackermann’s photos. He created the video using an iphone app. The song, So Far Away, is from the forthcoming EP Onwards to the Wall (due out February 7)

So Far Away – A Place to Bury Strangers

Guided By Voices storms Letterman

The reunited “classic lineup” of Guided By Voices just played a new song, The Unsinkable Fats Domino, on Letterman. The song is the first single off the band’s new album Let’s Go Eat the Factory. It features Robert Pollard’s mid-90s lineup, which produced two of the best GBV offerings, Bee Thousand and Alien Lanes. After an initial listen, the new album sounds pretty good. More on that later.

Nice recovery by guitarist Greg Demos, who took a spill on stage. It’s certainly not the first time a member of GBV fell down during a performance.

Iowan says fuck you to nation’s stereotype of his state

With the Iowa Caucuses held Tuesday, the state remains at the center of the political universe for at least another day. In the closing hours of the Iowa race, Republican candidates try to one up each other to show who’s the farthest to the right.

A couple of Iowans made a pretty funny video, Iowa Nice, to rebut the image of the state as an ass-backwards pool of inbred hate mongers. The video below is the uncensored version. There’s a clean version if you click here.

Buddy Guy set to play his Chicago club in January

It’s January in Chicago and that means Buddy Guy begins his monthlong residency at his Legends club in Chicago this week. The Saturday shows are sold out but there appears to be tickets available for some other nights.

There’s nothing like seeing Guy, one of the last of the truly great, old-times blues legends, play his own club. And where better to hear Sweet Home Chicago than on the city’s south side (well, South Loop).

From a Legends show:

And from some years back:

New song: ‘Open Eyes’ by The xx

In case you missed it, here’s a demo of a new song by The xx called Open Eyes.

Open Eyes (Demo) – The xx

New video: Panda Bear’s ‘You Can Count on Me’

In case you missed it, here’s the new video from Panda Bear for the single You Can Count on Me. The song is off Tomboy, which is ranked No. 4 on my best albums list.

Best albums of 2011: The top 20

A good rule of thumb for making a year-end list: Ask yourself will you still play this album in a year or two? That thinking has me rating Thee Oh Sees much higher than Tune-Yards on this year’s best albums list. Even though WHOKILL is a really interesting album, Thee Oh Sees are just a whole lot more fun.

Click here for the rest of the list, Nos. 21-40. Here’s my top 20 of 2011:

20. Ty Segall – Goodbye Bread: A much more refined offering than last year’s scorcher Melted.

You Make The Sun Fry – Ty Segall

19. Dum Dum Girls – Only in Dreams: It’s maybe better than the band’s first album — great old-school, girl group rock.

Bedroom Eyes – Dum Dum Girls

18. PJ Harvey – Let England Shake: Framing war through images of World War I’s toll on England, this is one of the greatest albums she’s made in years.

PJ Harvey – The Words That Maketh Murder by Vagrant Records

17. The Pains of Being Pure at Heart – Belong: These guys bring the rock for their second album. No, really.

Belong – The Pains of Being Pure at Heart

16. Fucked Up – David Comes to Life: Forget that it’s a concept album — or a punk rock opera. It’s just as hard as the older stuff.

The Other Shoe – Fucked Up

All the Young Punks’ Top 40: Best Albums of 2011

There was so much good music released in 2011 that I find it’s actually hard to confine a list to the top 40. These are some of the albums that struck me as interesting, exciting or irresistible.

I’ll count down from 40 to 1 in two posts.

40. Bass Drum of Death – GB City: This is such a fun debut from two guys from Mississippi. It rocks hard.

Young Pros – Bass Drum of Death

39. The Obits – Moody, Standard and Poor: Indie vet Rick Froberg plays stripped down, loud rock ‘n’ roll.

Shift Operator – Obits

38. Male Bonding – Endless Now: Great second album from these London punks.

Tame the Sun – Male Bonding

37.  Cymbals Eat Guitars – Lenses Alien: Band pays respectable homage to Pavement.

36. The Babies – The Babies: What do you get when you cross Woods with the Vivian Girls? A pretty boss album.

Meet Me In The City – The Babies