La La Land (2023)

 La La Land

(2023, Guided by Voices Inc.)

With the arrival of the new year, so comes a new Guided by Voices record!
 
Much in the same vein as Tremblers and Goggles by Rank, comes the oddly named “La La Land.” I saw GBV around the time Tremblers… came out, to which Pollard announced the title (which had also been circulating around the internet), and explained it was inspired by an old “bully” of sorts in the Dayton area who’d tell people he’d knock them into “la la land.” Whatever the case, this certainly didn’t stop a rash of short lived blurbs relating this to some sort of nod to the 2017 Oscar contender of same name.
 
All Gosling/Stone press aside, La La Land is the natural companion piece (as also stated in the press releases) to Tremblers... in almost every way: shorter track list than usual (11), longer song forms (another 6 minute outing!), heavy emphasis on multiple musical sections per song, and experimentation with audio trickery not always synonymous with GBV. All boxes are checked, and for the most part it works, perhaps better on one side of the LP than the other.
 
The reformed lineup (which at this point is consistently the longest and strongest formation of the band), continues to crank them out with engineering mastermind Travis Harrison. At this point, it feels like anything is possible with this band, and after 14 studio albums dating back to 2017 could you even argue that statement? For better (or worse for the easily fatigued), that seems to be true. While not an overall immediate impact record as some, there are a smattering of gems in this field of prog risks, pop sincerity, and bold ideas. 
 

SIDE A:
Another Day To Heal- 1 I recall reading a quote someone posted after talking to guitarist Bobby Bare Jr. where he said "just wait to you hear La La Land!" While I am paraphrasing a second-hand quote, high standards for this record were already in motion. So upon hearing the opening track, I was rather confounded. Along with "Made Man," off Earthman Blues, I still scratch my head as to why this was chosen as an opener. It's a direct but extremely middle-of-the-road guitar driven track with little to write home about. For some odd reason, Pollard's vocals are not only way up in the mix, but slightly out of tune most of the track, having the feel of a one-and-done vocal take (not necessarily for the better). The best part of this is the essential fade out into the glorious... 
 
Released Into Dementia- 5 Speaking of vocals, has Pollard ever sounded better!? Talk about a wild juxtaposition, but Bob sounds like he's singing for the angels on this gorgeous track. Solidified by a sturdy acoustic backbone, this one crunches but remains consistently airy while never losing its heaviness. The melancholy, Beatles-esque "organ" part at 1:25 is to die for, followed by a Doug Gillard riff that consistently leaves my speakers smoking. A real open-your-arms-and-embrace life celebration, "Released Into Dementia," is the type of track that makes you thankful you have not only found out about Guided by Voices, but that you've made them your favorite band. 

Ballroom Etiquette- 4 Following in the footsteps of "... Dementia," GBV bring another of their prettier songs. While not nearly as crushing or dreamy as its predecessor, Pollard provides more incredible vocals while weaving a hallucinatory web of lyrics. The cadence is almost nursery-rhymelike at times making this an infectious earworm, if not always immediately. 
 
Instinct Dwelling- 4 This is the first glimpse the public saw of the LP, as this was released as the initial internet only single. After the previous 2 tracks, this one feels like the "punk" statement from the band. Pollard gives a more pissed-off, ominous vocal performance on the stomping chug of the verses before the gates burst open with its simplistic, fist-raising choruses. Carried mostly by the guitar crunch of Bare and Gillard, it's one of the heavier GBV dirges in a while, arriving with tinges of hopelessness and snarl. 
 
Queen of Spaces- 5 Perhaps after too much attitude from "Instinct Dwelling," GBV roll out one of of the most intimate moments in the discography  A song so cold and brittle in spots, you almost have to sit and observe, afraid it might break in your handling like an icicle. After sparse acoustic plucking, longing piano chords, and a blanket of strings, Pollard finally makes his entrance at the 1:20 minute mark. An what an entrance it is; the icing on top of what has to fit in the box marked "TOP 10 PRETTIEST GBV SONGS OF ALL-TIME."  If "It's Good," helped start the tears years ago, "Queen of Spaces," may help clear out your tear ducts for a while as you reflect on the entirety of your life, or perhaps the endless boundaries the fucking universe itself. 
 
Slowly on the Wheel- 3 Perhaps in an effort to catch your breath, Pollard unveils one of the heaviest experimental pieces of GBV writing and patience in a while. As if challenging "Who Wants to Go Hunting?," we're hit with another 6 minute outing, this time ending not the record but the first side of the LP. For 1:40 minutes, we hear a lone piano accompanied by a lone, shaky vocal track. It's so bare, it fascinates. Unfortunately, the song remains a little too desolate throughout its run time. At 4 minutes, it finally beings to sound like a rock band, complete with soaring melody worthy of celebration. A bold swing for the fences in experimentation, one that nearly comes close to sticking but pales slightly next to some of the more recent GBV epics of the last few years. 

 
SIDE B:
Cousin Jackie- 2 Another layered track, "Cousin Jackie" opens the second side with vibrancy and immediacy. Unfortunately, this has the rare distinction for me as being one I've liked less the more I've heard it. A mid-tempo stomper for most of it, Pollard says "make it rain," somewhere between 20 and 400 times to the point it becomes cloying. Toward the end, he takes a risk on some dated sounding rock scatting that doesn't completely fail but also doesn't really work. A bold track throughout, this one probably has the power the be a fan favorite of the LP, but leaves me longing. 
 
Wild Kingdom- 3 Absolutly melt over what sounds like the demo version of the vocals during the introduction of the song before the band kicks in. Another mid-tempo number that falls into straight ahead rock territory. Being that we're in prog land, the bridge has some start-stop moments. The simple but effective "an invitation to suffering moments," make this one slightly memorable. 
 
Caution Song- 3 A slower, mildly hypnotic track thanks for Pollard sounding like he's floating above the mix. Musically, there's nothing much to highlight, but simply revel in a great vocal delivery that helps make this a late LP song worthy of revisiting. One that seems to get better each time, personally. 
 
Face Eraser- 3 Somewhere between new wave quirkiness and punk delivery, "Face Eraser" commits the sin of being catchy by being nearly annoying. Pollard manages to continually rhyme a series of basic words with more basic phrasing, a technique that seems beneath his usual writing style. Feels like a sister piece to "Questions of the Test"; I should love this, but something is missing, and cant help revisiting in hopes that piece has somehow fallen into place.
 
Pockets- 2 In the style of "Cousin Jackie," Pollard relies heavily on repeating the title, basically giving scenarios of all the different ways we can use the word "pockets," in one's life. Like the word "pockets" itself, the song is rather a underwhelming. After a an LP of wild ideas, moments of swinging for the fences, this doesn't feel like we're properly shown the door. The extended guitars-only outro brings a welcomed farewell, if not somewhat unnecessary.