It's been fun revisiting this current run of Guided by Voices albums. If you've been along for the ride, I hope it's been fun for you as well. I realize this is an excessive amount of Guided by Voices content all at once, but I felt it would be an interesting exercise. Apologies to those of you who aren't fans of the band. My pace is slowing a bit because I'm down to the last five albums before the new one is released at the end of the month. I'm also trying to get through a copious list of 2004 albums for that deep dive. It's shaping up to be an excellent year of releases. I already have a 4.5-star new discovery. I'm aiming for early July for the 2004 reveals.
Crystal Nun Cathedral is similar to Sweating the Plague in that it's a tight, 12-song set that's a solid rocker with no extreme highs or lows. The quality of the songs is higher on CNC, but I'm rating it at 4-stars as well. It's close to 4.5, but I can't quite rate it the same as Alien Lanes or Half Smiles of the Decomposed. In the context of this band lineup though a 4.5 could be argued. My only complaint is CNC is mostly one-note and lacks a couple really hooky tracks. However, every song is good to great. It's amazing that Robert Pollard can still deliver a vocal performance like the one he does here. The lyrics seem more personal, especially on the song "Never Mind the List". It's clearly a diss track to someone. "Let it rest and go away. Keep your profile low. Never try so hard", "Make a fist when you pray", "Too bad we couldn't get along", "Might I say you can cross me from your list. Very good then". It's interesting that this song was the single that they produced a video for.
The opening track, "Eye City" is an intense combination of grunge and prog. The lyrics of chorus 2 are fantastic, "Presidential ghost of this illusion/That's how it goes/In and out through tighter spaces, voyeuristic light/Venus flytrap slowly dying/Snapping lashes on the brink/Arriving violently through the stream/A scene that's playing out in some god's dream/And I still come 'round here". The song "Forced to the Sea" reminds me of "Look at Them' from Under the Bushes, Under the Stars. The following track, "Huddled" is reminiscent of the album Earthquake Glue. "Excited Ones" is probably the most classically catchy song in this set. "Mad River Man" is menacing in the verses, up-tempo in the choruses, and Who's Next adjacent. CNC closes with the title track, "Crystal Nun Cathedral". It's another of those great under two-minute rockers that Pollard can toss off while sitting on the toilet. The lyrics are delightful. The more I listen to CNC, I might get to a 4.5-stars at some point. It's a great record. Peace.
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