Guided by Voices: Welshpool Frillies ( 2023 )

      Good news! I found one of my kids old Chromebooks and it still works, so I'm back in business. Now I can wrap up my Guided by Voices deep dive and then we can all move on with our lives. The dive is going to end with a bang because these last couple albums are tremendous. Today's post will be about their second release of 2023, Welshpool Frillies. I'm going to rate this one at 4.5 stars. It's not Bee Thousand or Isolation Drills level, but in the context of this band lineup I could argue it's a 5-star. There are multiple songs that I would put in the Guided by Voices canon. 

     This tight, 15 song set finds Pollard, Gillard, Bare, Shue and March firing on all cylinders. It starts with one of the bands best 1-2-3 punches ever; "Meet the Star", "Cruiser's Cross" and "Romeo Surgeon". "Romeo Surgeon" is the standout of this bunch. Gillard's razor sharp, stabby, stop-and-start riffs are dynamic. Even the next two tracks, "Chain Dance" and "Why Won't You Kiss Me", are those goofy type of Pollard songs that can quickly go off the rails, but he manages to straddle the line between having fun and being absurd. The rest of the album is on a spectrum from very good to great. In particular, the five song run of "Awake Man", "Rust Belt Boogie", "Seedling", "Better Odds" and "Radioactive Pigeons" is perfect. They are all quintessential Guided by Voices tracks. Bob's vocals and lyrics are exquisite, the guitars are clear and chime-y, and March's drumming is primal, especially on "Rust Belt Boogie". "Better Odds" is a masterclass in songwriting:

     Would you cut us off if we let cha?

     Would you make a scene? Oh, I betcha

     Having better odds on less production.

     Would you kiss a snake if I held it?

     You caused an earthquake, yeah, I felt it

     Drawing out a plan of your construction

     More or less, a real reduction.

     I mentioned the other day that I was transferred to a new store for my job and it has been kind of stressful. Yesterday, I went back to the receiving room and the girl working back there was listening to Bee Thousand. I shit you not! She was jealous when I told her I was going to see them at The Grog Shop. Then she went on about Pavement and Built to Spill. Maybe this transfer will work out okay after all. Peace.