Universe Room (2025)

 Universe Room 

(2025, Guided by Voices Inc.)

Following Strut of Kings, their lone LP of 2024, GBV return with their first of 2025. This is the first LP since Warp and Woof  that one can arguably refer to as "the weird one." Like Warp and Woof, the LP is jammed with varying ideas, recording qualities, and overall ideas. It's the first time Bob's taken the GBV moniker, and proceeded to smash songs of all different ilks up against one another and drop it in the bucket. Unlike Warp and Woof, the ideas go even farther out there. For the first time in a bit, the band diverges from much of the prog-rock oriented detours they've been playing around with over the years. 

Not to say Universe Room isn't full of prog moments. Hell, the whole LP might be kind of a prog mishmash. It's the first LP in a while that is released as more of the "grower" and less of the "shower." Still, because it's from the bottomless well of ideas of Pollard and the gang, it rewards repeated listens. 

Like the Cub Scout Bowling Pins record Clang Clang Ho, each track is recorded and performed solely by different members of the band, with Pollard finishing it off in the vocal department, adding to the records unpredictability. 

SIDE A: 

Driving Time- 3 Pollard leads us in over clunky acoustic guitar backed by an industrial orchestra. We're finally propelled into a world full of prickly keyboard accompaniment and angular drum fills. A perfect example of a Pollard song that features no immediate memorable hook but find myself going around with "Driving Time" consistently lodged firmly in brain. 

I Couldn't See the Light-4  Perhaps it's the title, but this song opens up with that GBV repetitive melancholic guitar strum that hits the sweet spot. Eventually, it breaks apart into prog territory before the tempo picks it up, eventually spilling into brief moments of pop normalcy. When Pollard declares "I couldn't see the light, The sun was in my eyes!," it feels like the final icing on the cake moment, backed by strings; the moment hangs there, a few second final pay off wrapping up the entire multifaceted buildup that is all that came before it.  

I Will Be a Monk- 3 A mid-tempo chugger with blistering guitar leads that pop in and out over the songs moody fades and unwieldy crescendos. Short and sweeter with every listen, a stone-cold simplistic perfect hook.

The Great Man- 4 The first of the internet only released singles, "The Great Man" is punctuated by Bernard Hermann-esque "Psycho" orchestration. It's a song of unease, some dread, and what seems like an underlying defiance. Like the LP, this one isn't immediate until you realize its worked its way in deeper than you could've imagined at first. 

Clearly Aware- 3 A sludgy plod that feels like a one-take track that grows on you the more you revisit. An epic doom ride; real rickety rainy day stuff. 

Dawn Believes- 4 A beautiful longing GBV track inspired by the dish soap! As in literally, Pollard said he was looking at dish soap and then wrote this song. I appreciate it's off-the-cuffness here, throwing it back to early GBV style meets "Doughnut for a Snowman" product cross referencing in one gorgeous track. 

Play Shadows- 3 An introduction point for people wondering what some of the more listenable Circus Devils material might sound like? A title that encompass it's distorted dreamlike state, careening off into the point of leaving you floating in fuzz. 

Fly Religion- 2 A fairly straight forward midtempo rock song that I've failed to connect with. I like it's careening patch work of ideas, the hooks that are trying to latch on to my brain, but hasn't fully landed for me yet

SIDE B: 

The Well Known Soldier- 4 I love this kind of GBV stuff. Instrumental track. Pollard on acoustic guitar, playing what I can assume is a spontaneous recording, or at least a quick take of a couple ideas. Absolutely beautiful, background noise and all, and really showcases his incredible playing style. 

Hers Purple- 3 A piano backed hard rocker that gives this one an odd circus (Sgt. Pepper's?) vibe. Love the out of nowhere/tune guitar lead jabbing in. Blink and you might miss it. 

Independent Animal- 4 Pollard dropping in with some absolute pop goodness that sounds like it was plucked from the outtakes of Not In My Airforce!!!  A sunny, catchy as hell minute with only about 30 seconds of killer Pollard vocals. Damn, that was refreshing! 

19th Man To Fly An Airplane- 3 Welcome to this record's "Sons of the Beard." Starting with 30 seconds of increasingly loudening engine noise before abruptly cutting into an acoustic ballad is a bold move, I must say. And then to turn this into a prog sci-fi, nightmarish march of sorts (militant guitar flourishes and all)... Yes, going into bolder territory still! Eventually the band delivers a straight snippet of a promising rock song before cutting to 30 more seconds of engine noise. A big swing whirlwind! 

Elfin Flower With Knees- 2 Perhaps due to title, this does feel like a sonic detour to Pollard's vision of middle earth, something I'm only safely assuming he's had visions about. One that has not connected with me fully. 

FranCisco- 3 Absolutely wild stuff here. Flat out hated this upon first listen. Not a chance... and well wouldn't you know it, I kind of like this insane detour to haunted Spain Pollard thought we'd need as he croons "FranCisco" repeatedly.  

Aluminum Stingray Girl- 4 Perhaps it was the flamenco fumes left behind from its predecessor, but it was listening to this song a few times over that the record finally clicked as a whole for me. As much as I've enjoyed all of these GBV/Harrison LPs, I always say I'd welcome another weird one in the batch. Well, finally I thought, it's here! This is the weird one. Here is a song where I really appreciate it's fuck it attitude from the guitar, to the floating Pollard doubled vocals.

Aesop Dreamed of Lions- 3 One of the most ambitious songs of the record comes near the end, a midtempo minor prog rocker that's perfectly fine, but feels like I might be missing something here. Love the instrumental lead out on this. 

Everybody's a Star- 4 Has the feel of someone singing alone on a stage, spotlight beaming down as the guitars pop and crackle out from the corners of the darkened stage. A fantastic, fantastical song that also feels incredibly earnest. I'm glad Pollard couldn't think of a better way to close this record out, because this was the right choice.