787. Alien Lanes - Guided by Voices

A band that we'd vaguely heard of, but I couldn't have told you the genre, members, or even era before we selected it. An intimidating 28 tracks in just 41 minutes did little to soothe the unease that we had in listening to something so completely unknown; would the first sound be electronic, acoustic, or flugelhorn?

From the first listen it was apparent that this was a bit different, but also comfortingly familiar. It is a very lo-fi record, with the distinct feel of a collection of demoes thrown together and then discarded before reaching full fruition. It is like an old AM radio that keeps jumping between different college stations without notice. The songs are fairly standard mid-90s indie in many ways, but with an experimental air. They remind me of a mix between Pavement and Neutral Milk Hotel - no bad thing at all.

A Salty Salute opens the album, with its "the club is open" refrain indicative of the collection of sounds you are about to come across. It's like a slightly offbeat indie club complete with a variety of bands performing as you wander from room to room, never staying in one place for more than a couple of minutes. Game of Pricks reminds me of the Crocketts debut album in terms of the claustrophobic sound, and is one of the best songs on here. My Valuable Hunting Knife is a song that I have no idea what it's about, but it'll get stuck in your head for all the right reasons. Motor Away - a chugging almost-anthem with the usual obscure lyrics, and Blimps go 90 is another great slice of slightly bizarre indie-pop. There are many, many snippets and excerpts here that make you take notice, although there are a few less successful attempts at quirkiness; I really liked ex-Supermodel, until I listened on headphones and heard the rather loud snoring in the background, that ruined it for me somewhat.

As you can tell, this album lends itself well to analogies, with its sclerotic approach. It is enjoyable from the first listen, and steadily grows from there. I feel that I could happily have spent another week listening to it, and uncovering more of the rough diamonds scattered within its track-listing. As much as it sounds like a collection of demoes, many of which you would have liked Robert Pollard to properly develop into more conventional four minute songs, this would miss the point. 

Chloe's rating: 8
Chloe's favourite track: 9. A Good Flying Bird
Olly's rating: 8
Olly's favourite track: 17. My Valuable Hunting Knife

Random.org has given us 796. Grace by Jeff Buckley next week. Well played internet.