Guided by Voices: How Do You Spell Heaven ( 2017 )

     How do you spell heaven? I usually spell it G-b-V. Unfortunately, the second Guided by Voices album of 2017 doesn't quite reach that celestial level. Don't get me wrong, it's a good album. The band really brings it on this one. However, when the band lays back the sound is murky and turgid. Many tracks are saved by the band kicking in the door on the chorus. Guided by Voices albums are often a mixed bag. It's part of Robert Pollard's charm, but on this record his highs are higher, but not as frequent, and his lows are lower. It almost sounds like a high-quality Robert Pollard solo album. 

     If it's any indication, my favorite track is a four-minute instrumental, "Pearly Gates Smoke Machine". It was co-written by Doug Gillard, and he kills it on lead guitar. It has that strutting 70's rock vibe. If there's one thing this album does, it solidifies that Pollard has found his perfect lineup. They make nearly every song on here at least solid to really good. However, I doubt any tracks on HDYSH while make my top songs list, except possibly the instrumental. I was going to give it a 3-star rating, but after a few more listens I bumped it up to 3.5 stars. The quality picks up quite a bit in the second half with songs like "Diver Dan", "Paper Cutz", "Nothing Gets You Real" and the title track. 

     Maybe it's because Pollard has worked with them a lot over the years and they have his trust, but Doug Gillard and drummer Kevin March do all the heavy lifting on HDYSH. It's where all the forward momentum comes from. We hear this right from the jump on, "The Birthday Democrats". The second track, "King 007" starts out kind of jazzy, but when the band kicks in at 53 seconds it's a phenomenal rocker...until it rides out with the jazzy bit again. "Steppenwolf Mausoleum" is a slow burner in the verses that also kicks in on the bridge and chorus. "They Fall Silent", is the obligatory bizarre under one-minute Pollard track. Overall, HDYSH is a solid record, but it's not at the level of the best Guided by Voices albums. There's no shame in that. Peace.