Rock Atlas
Guided by Voices band photograph

Photo by Roberta , licensed under CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Rank #448

Guided by Voices

Dayton indie-rock institution of Robert Pollard's prolific four-track songwriting.

From Wikipedia

Guided by Voices is an American indie rock band formed in 1983 in Dayton, Ohio. The band had various lineup changes, with singer and songwriter Robert Pollard remaining the group's sole constant. The most well-known lineup of the band consisted of Pollard, his brother Jim, Mitch Mitchell, Tobin Sprout, Kevin Fennell (drums), and bassist Greg Demos.

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Members

  • Bobby Bare, Jr.
  • Chris Slusarenko
  • Doug Gillard
  • Greg Demos
  • Jim Pollard
  • Kevin Fennell
  • Kevin March
  • Mark Shue
  • Mitch Mitchell
  • Nate Farley
  • Paul Comstock
  • Robert Pollard
  • Timothy Payton Earick
  • Tobin Sprout

Discography & Previews

Browse through and click an album to open and play 30-second previews streamed from Apple Music.

Sandbox

1987 · 12 tracks

  1. 1 Lips of Steel ↗ 1:34
  2. 2 A Visit to the Creep Doctor ↗ 1:30
  3. 3 Everyday ↗ 2:58
  4. 4 Barricade ↗ 4:32
  5. 5 Get to Know the Ropes ↗ 3:48
  6. 6 Can't Stop ↗ 2:26
  7. 7 The Drinking Jim Crow ↗ 1:36
  8. 8 Trap Soul Door ↗ 1:15
  9. 9 Common Rebels ↗ 2:04
  10. 10 Long Distance Man ↗ 1:17
  11. 11 I Certainly Hope Not ↗ 2:01
  12. 12 Adverse Wind ↗ 2:09

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Devil Between My Toes

1987 · 14 tracks

  1. 1 Old Battery ↗ 1:46
  2. 2 Discussing Wallace Chambers ↗ 1:48
  3. 3 Cyclops ↗ 1:50
  4. 4 Crux ↗ 2:25
  5. 5 A Portrait Destroyed By Fire ↗ 5:10
  6. 6 3 Year Old Man ↗ 1:40
  7. 7 Dog's Out ↗ 2:09
  8. 8 A Proud and Booming Industry ↗ 1:03
  9. 9 Hank's Little Fingers ↗ 2:13
  10. 10 Artboat ↗ 2:28
  11. 11 Hey Hey, Spaceman ↗ 2:52
  12. 12 The Tumblers ↗ 2:40
  13. 13 Bread Alone ↗ 1:10
  14. 14 Captain's Dead ↗ 2:01

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Self-Inflicted Aerial Nostalgia

1989 · 14 tracks

  1. 1 The Future Is In Eggs ↗ 3:30
  2. 2 The Great Blake Street Canoe Race ↗ 2:54
  3. 3 Slopes of Big Ugly ↗ 2:06
  4. 4 Crux ↗ 2:17
  5. 5 Navigating Flood Regions ↗ 2:39
  6. 6 An Earful o' Wax ↗ 4:22
  7. 7 White Whale ↗ 2:40
  8. 8 Trampoline ↗ 2:13
  9. 9 Short On Posters ↗ 1:47
  10. 10 Chief Barrel Belly ↗ 3:17
  11. 11 Dying to Try This ↗ 1:17
  12. 12 The Qualifying Remainder ↗ 2:55
  13. 13 Liar's Tale ↗ 1:57
  14. 14 Radio Show (Trust the Wizard) ↗ 4:01

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Same Place the Fly Got Smashed

1990 · 13 tracks

  1. 1 Airshow '88 ↗ 2:13
  2. 2 Order for the New Slave Trade ↗ 3:09
  3. 3 The Hard Way ↗ 2:53
  4. 4 Drinker's Peace ↗ 1:53
  5. 5 Mammoth Cave ↗ 2:17
  6. 6 When She Turns 50 ↗ 2:07
  7. 7 Club Molluska ↗ 1:35
  8. 8 Pendulum ↗ 1:50
  9. 9 Ambergris ↗ 0:52
  10. 10 Local Mix-Up / Murder Charge ↗ 6:40
  11. 11 Starboy ↗ 1:10
  12. 12 Blatant Doom Trip ↗ 3:59
  13. 13 How Loft I Am? ↗ 1:06

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Propeller

1992 · 15 tracks

  1. 1 Over the Neptune / Mesh Gear Fox ↗ 5:42
  2. 2 Weedking ↗ 2:39
  3. 3 Particular Damaged ↗ 1:59
  4. 4 Quality of Armor ↗ 2:37
  5. 5 Metal Mothers ↗ 3:18
  6. 6 Lethargy ↗ 1:21
  7. 7 Unleashed! the Large-Hearted Boy ↗ 1:59
  8. 8 Red Gas Circle ↗ 1:26
  9. 9 Exit Flagger ↗ 2:19
  10. 10 14 Cheerleader Coldfront ↗ 1:32
  11. 11 Back to Saturn X Radio Report ↗ 1:33
  12. 12 Ergo Space Pig ↗ 2:48
  13. 13 Circus World ↗ 2:40
  14. 14 Some Drilling Implied ↗ 1:41
  15. 15 On the Tundra ↗ 2:38

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Vampire on Titus

1993 · 18 tracks

  1. 1 Wished I Was a Giant ↗ 2:43
  2. 2 #2 In the Model Home Series ↗ 1:46
  3. 3 Expecting Brainchild ↗ 2:30
  4. 4 Superior Sector Janitor X ↗ 0:37
  5. 5 Donkey School ↗ 1:03
  6. 6 Dusted ↗ 2:08
  7. 7 Marchers In Orange ↗ 1:25
  8. 8 Sot ↗ 2:35
  9. 9 World of Fun ↗ 0:56
  10. 10 Jar of Cardinals ↗ 1:22
  11. 11 Unstable Journey ↗ 2:15
  12. 12 E-5 ↗ 1:30
  13. 13 Cool Off Kid Kilowatt ↗ 0:56
  14. 14 Gleemer (The Deeds of Fertile Jim) ↗ 2:24
  15. 15 Wondering Boy Poet ↗ 1:00
  16. 16 What About It? ↗ 1:38
  17. 17 Perhaps Now the Vultures ↗ 2:24
  18. 18 Non-Absorbing ↗ 1:37

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Bee Thousand

1994 · 20 tracks

  1. 1 Hardcore UFO's ↗ 1:54
  2. 2 Buzzards and Dreadful Crows ↗ 1:43
  3. 3 Tractor Rape Chain ↗ 3:05
  4. 4 The Goldheart Mountaintop Queen Directory ↗ 1:45
  5. 5 Hot Freaks ↗ 1:43
  6. 6 Smothered In Hugs ↗ 3:00
  7. 7 Yours to Keep ↗ 1:15
  8. 8 Echos Myron ↗ 2:42
  9. 9 Gold Star for Robot Boy ↗ 1:39
  10. 10 Awful Bliss ↗ 1:12
  11. 11 Mincer Ray ↗ 2:21
  12. 12 A Big Fan of the Pigpen ↗ 2:09
  13. 13 Queen of Cans and Jars ↗ 1:55
  14. 14 Her Psychology Today ↗ 2:04
  15. 15 Kicker of Elves ↗ 1:04
  16. 16 Ester's Day ↗ 1:51
  17. 17 Demons Are Real ↗ 0:48
  18. 18 I Am a Scientist ↗ 2:24
  19. 19 Peep-Hole ↗ 1:25
  20. 20 You're Not an Airplane ↗ 0:33

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Alien Lanes

1995 · 28 tracks

  1. 1 A Salty Salute ↗ 1:29
  2. 2 Evil Speakers ↗ 0:59
  3. 3 Watch Me Jumpstart ↗ 2:24
  4. 4 They're Not Witches ↗ 0:51
  5. 5 As We Go Up, We Go Down ↗ 1:37
  6. 6 (I Wanna Be a) Dumbcharger ↗ 1:14
  7. 7 Game of Pricks ↗ 1:33
  8. 8 The Ugly Vision ↗ 1:35
  9. 9 A Good Flying Bird ↗ 1:08
  10. 10 Cigarette Tricks ↗ 0:18
  11. 11 Pimple Zoo ↗ 0:43
  12. 12 Big Chief Chinese Restaurant ↗ 0:57
  13. 13 Closer You Are ↗ 1:57
  14. 14 Auditorium ↗ 1:02
  15. 15 Motor Away ↗ 2:07
  16. 16 Hit ↗ 0:23
  17. 17 My Valuable Hunting Knife ↗ 2:00
  18. 18 Gold Hick ↗ 0:30
  19. 19 King and Caroline ↗ 1:36
  20. 20 Striped White Jets ↗ 2:15
  21. 21 Ex-Supermodel ↗ 1:07
  22. 22 Blimps Go 90 ↗ 1:40
  23. 23 Strawdogs ↗ 1:18
  24. 24 Chicken Blows ↗ 2:22
  25. 25 Little Whirl ↗ 1:47
  26. 26 My Son Cool ↗ 1:41
  27. 27 Always Crush Me ↗ 1:45
  28. 28 Alright ↗ 2:58

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Under the Bushes Under the Stars

1996 · 24 tracks

  1. 1 Man Called Aerodynamics ↗ 2:01
  2. 2 Rhine Jive Click ↗ 1:34
  3. 3 Cut-Out Witch ↗ 3:06
  4. 4 Burning Flag Birthday Suit ↗ 2:22
  5. 5 The Official Ironmen Rally Song ↗ 2:49
  6. 6 To Remake the Young Flyer ↗ 1:44
  7. 7 No Sky ↗ 2:04
  8. 8 Bright Paper Werewolves ↗ 1:14
  9. 9 Lord of Overstock ↗ 2:34
  10. 10 Your Name Is Wild ↗ 2:02
  11. 11 Ghosts of a Different Dream ↗ 2:30
  12. 12 Acorns & Orioles ↗ 2:13
  13. 13 Look At Them ↗ 2:27
  14. 14 The Perfect Life ↗ 1:00
  15. 15 Underwater Explosions ↗ 2:03
  16. 16 Atom Eyes ↗ 1:43
  17. 17 Don't Stop Now ↗ 2:39
  18. 18 Office of Hearts ↗ 2:07
  19. 19 Big Boring Wedding ↗ 3:43
  20. 20 It's Like Soul Man ↗ 2:10
  21. 21 Drag Days ↗ 2:51
  22. 22 Sheetkickers ↗ 3:18
  23. 23 Redmen and Their Wives ↗ 3:56
  24. 24 Take To the Sky ↗ 1:50

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Mag Earwhig!

1997 · 21 tracks

  1. 1 Can't Hear The Revolution ↗ 1:36
  2. 2 Sad If I Lost It ↗ 3:10
  3. 3 I Am A Tree ↗ 4:40
  4. 4 The Old Grunt ↗ 1:28
  5. 5 Bulldog Skin ↗ 3:00
  6. 6 Are You Faster? ↗ 1:13
  7. 7 I am Produced ↗ 1:07
  8. 8 Knock 'Em Flying ↗ 1:53
  9. 9 Not Behind The Fighter Jet ↗ 2:13
  10. 10 Choking Tara ↗ 1:24
  11. 11 Hollow Cheek ↗ 0:32
  12. 12 Learning To Hunt ↗ 2:25
  13. 13 Little Lines ↗ 2:02
  14. 14 Portable Men's Society ↗ 4:17
  15. 15 The Finest Joke Upon Us ↗ 3:08
  16. 16 Mag Earwhig! ↗ 0:40
  17. 17 Now To War ↗ 2:44
  18. 18 Jane Of The Waking Universe ↗ 2:26
  19. 19 The Colossus Crawls West ↗ 2:14
  20. 20 Mute Superstar ↗ 1:24
  21. 21 Bomb The Bee-Hive ↗ 2:03

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Do the Collapse

1999 · 16 tracks

  1. 1 Teenage FBI ↗ 2:54
  2. 2 Zoo Pie ↗ 2:19
  3. 3 Things I Will Keep ↗ 2:26
  4. 4 Hold On Hope ↗ 3:31
  5. 5 In Stiches ↗ 3:39
  6. 6 Dragons Awake! ↗ 2:08
  7. 7 Surgical Focus ↗ 3:48
  8. 8 Optical Hopscotch ↗ 3:02
  9. 9 Mushroom Art ↗ 1:48
  10. 10 Much Better Mr. Buckles ↗ 2:25
  11. 11 Wormhole ↗ 2:33
  12. 12 Strumpet Eye ↗ 1:58
  13. 13 Liquid Indian ↗ 3:39
  14. 14 Wrecking Now ↗ 2:34
  15. 15 Picture Me Big Time ↗ 4:02
  16. 16 An Unmarked Product ↗ 1:08

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Isolation Drills

2001 · 16 tracks

  1. 1 Fair Touching ↗ 3:08
  2. 2 Skills Like This ↗ 2:48
  3. 3 Chasing Heather Crazy ↗ 2:53
  4. 4 Frostman ↗ 0:56
  5. 5 Twilight Campfighter ↗ 3:08
  6. 6 Sister I Need Wine ↗ 1:41
  7. 7 Want One? ↗ 1:49
  8. 8 Enemy ↗ 4:54
  9. 9 Unspirited ↗ 2:26
  10. 10 Glad Girls ↗ 3:49
  11. 11 Run Wild ↗ 3:48
  12. 12 Pivotal Film ↗ 3:10
  13. 13 How's My Drinking? ↗ 2:38
  14. 14 Brides Have Hit Glass ↗ 2:51
  15. 15 Fine to See You ↗ 3:16
  16. 16 Privately ↗ 4:04

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Universal Truths and Cycles

2002 · 19 tracks

  1. 1 Wire Greyhounds ↗ 0:35
  2. 2 Skin Parade ↗ 2:57
  3. 3 Zap ↗ 1:15
  4. 4 Christian Animation Torch Carriers ↗ 3:54
  5. 5 Cheyenne ↗ 2:59
  6. 6 The Weeping Bogeyman ↗ 1:36
  7. 7 Back to the Lake ↗ 2:35
  8. 8 Love 1 ↗ 0:54
  9. 9 Storm Vibrations ↗ 4:59
  10. 10 Factory of Raw Essentials ↗ 1:26
  11. 11 Everywhere with Helicopter ↗ 2:38
  12. 12 Pretty Bombs ↗ 3:06
  13. 13 Eureka Signs ↗ 3:06
  14. 14 Wings of Thorn ↗ 2:10
  15. 15 Car Language ↗ 4:45
  16. 16 From a Voice Plantation ↗ 2:06
  17. 17 The Ids Are All Right ↗ 1:11
  18. 18 Universal Truths and Cycles ↗ 2:19
  19. 19 Father Sgt. Christmas Card ↗ 2:04

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Earthquake Glue

2003 · 15 tracks

  1. 1 My Kind of Soldier ↗ 2:37
  2. 2 My Son, My Secretary and My Country ↗ 1:57
  3. 3 I'll Replace You With Machines ↗ 2:49
  4. 4 She Goes Off At Night ↗ 2:04
  5. 5 Beat Your Wings ↗ 4:48
  6. 6 Useless Inventions ↗ 2:53
  7. 7 Dirty Water ↗ 3:27
  8. 8 The Best of Jill Hives ↗ 2:42
  9. 9 Dead Cloud ↗ 3:12
  10. 10 Mix Up the Satellite ↗ 3:23
  11. 11 The Main Street Wizards ↗ 3:22
  12. 12 A Trophy Mule In Particular ↗ 2:19
  13. 13 Apology In Advance ↗ 2:33
  14. 14 Secret Star ↗ 4:43
  15. 15 Of Mites and Men ↗ 2:34

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Half Smiles of the Decomposed

2004 · 14 tracks

  1. 1 Everyone Thinks I'm a Raincloud (When I'm Not Looking) ↗ 3:20
  2. 2 Sleep Over Jack ↗ 3:05
  3. 3 Girls of Wild Strawberries ↗ 2:30
  4. 4 Gonna Never Have to Die ↗ 2:18
  5. 5 Window of My World ↗ 2:58
  6. 6 Closets of Henry ↗ 2:31
  7. 7 Tour Guide at the Winston Churchill Memorial ↗ 3:02
  8. 8 Asia Minor ↗ 2:24
  9. 9 Sons of Apollo ↗ 4:04
  10. 10 Sing for Your Meat ↗ 4:04
  11. 11 Asphyxiated Circle ↗ 2:50
  12. 12 A Second Spurt of Growth ↗ 2:46
  13. 13 (s)Mothering and Coaching ↗ 3:22
  14. 14 Huffman Prairie Flying Field ↗ 3:14

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The Bears for Lunch

2012 · 19 tracks

  1. 1 King Arthur the Red ↗ 2:14
  2. 2 The Corners Are Glowing ↗ 3:02
  3. 3 Have a Jug ↗ 1:09
  4. 4 Hangover Child ↗ 2:58
  5. 5 Dome Rust ↗ 1:10
  6. 6 Finger Gang ↗ 1:51
  7. 7 The Challenge Is Much More ↗ 1:49
  8. 8 Waving At Airplanes ↗ 3:14
  9. 9 The Military School Dance Dismissal ↗ 2:07
  10. 10 White Flag ↗ 2:15
  11. 11 Skin to Skin Combat ↗ 3:42
  12. 12 She Lives in an Airport ↗ 2:44
  13. 13 Tree Fly Jet ↗ 2:46
  14. 14 Waking Up the Stars ↗ 2:14
  15. 15 Up Instead of Running ↗ 2:13
  16. 16 Smoggy Boy ↗ 0:35
  17. 17 Amorphous Surprise ↗ 1:59
  18. 18 You Can Fly Anything Right ↗ 1:55
  19. 19 Everywhere Is Miles from Everywhere ↗ 3:05

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Let’s Go Eat the Factory

2012 · 20 tracks

  1. 1 Laundry and Lasers ↗ 2:39
  2. 2 The Head ↗ 1:10
  3. 3 Doughnut for a Snowman ↗ 1:45
  4. 4 Spiderfighter ↗ 3:35
  5. 5 Hang Mr. Kite ↗ 1:41
  6. 6 God Loves Us ↗ 1:28
  7. 8 Who Invented the Sun ↗ 1:21
  8. 9 The Big Hat and Toy Show ↗ 2:13
  9. 10 Imperial Racehorsing ↗ 2:54
  10. 11 How I Met My Mother ↗ 1:02
  11. 12 Waves ↗ 3:22
  12. 13 My Europa ↗ 1:49
  13. 14 Chocolate Boy ↗ 1:31
  14. 15 The Things That Never Need ↗ 1:11
  15. 16 Either Nelson ↗ 2:05
  16. 17 Cyclone Utilities (Remember Your Birthday) ↗ 2:50
  17. 18 Old Bones ↗ 2:04
  18. 19 Go Rolling Home ↗ 0:34
  19. 20 The Room Taking Shape ↗ 0:43
  20. 21 We Won't Apologize for the Human Race ↗ 4:02

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Class Clown Spots a UFO

2012 · 21 tracks

  1. 1 He Rises! Our Union Bellboy ↗ 3:02
  2. 2 Blue Babbleships Bay ↗ 1:18
  3. 3 Forever Until It Breaks ↗ 3:16
  4. 4 Class Clown Spots a UFO ↗ 3:17
  5. 5 Chain to the Moon ↗ 1:00
  6. 6 Hang Up and Try Again ↗ 2:16
  7. 7 Keep It In Motion ↗ 2:07
  8. 8 Tyson’s High School ↗ 2:36
  9. 9 They and Them ↗ 1:10
  10. 10 Fighter Pilot ↗ 1:00
  11. 11 Roll of the Dice, Kick In the Head ↗ 0:47
  12. 12 Billy Wire ↗ 2:04
  13. 13 Worm / 7 Broken Hearts ↗ 0:50
  14. 14 Starfire ↗ 1:27
  15. 15 Jon the Croc ↗ 2:33
  16. 16 Fly Baby ↗ 1:43
  17. 17 All of This Will Go ↗ 1:46
  18. 18 The Opposite Continues ↗ 1:37
  19. 19 Be Impeccable ↗ 2:57
  20. 20 Lost In Spaces ↗ 0:51
  21. 21 No Transmission ↗ 2:19

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English Little League

2013 · 17 tracks

  1. 1 Xeno Pariah ↗ 2:03
  2. 2 Know Me as Heavy ↗ 2:50
  3. 3 Island (She Talks in Rainbows) ↗ 2:16
  4. 4 Trash Can Full of Nails ↗ 3:31
  5. 5 Send to Celeste (And the Cosmic Athletes) ↗ 3:19
  6. 6 Quiet Game ↗ 3:19
  7. 7 Noble Insect ↗ 3:24
  8. 8 Sir Garlic Breath ↗ 2:26
  9. 9 Crybaby 4-Star Hotel ↗ 1:53
  10. 10 Biographer Seahorse ↗ 3:36
  11. 11 Flunky Minnows ↗ 2:12
  12. 12 Birds ↗ 2:45
  13. 13 The Sudden Death of Epstein's Ways ↗ 2:16
  14. 14 Reflections in a Metal Whistle ↗ 1:47
  15. 15 Taciturn Caves ↗ 3:55
  16. 16 A Burning Glass ↗ 2:01
  17. 17 With Glass in Foot ↗ 2:20

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Motivational Jumpsuit

2014 · 20 tracks

  1. 1 The Littlest League Possible ↗ 1:18
  2. 2 Until Next Time ↗ 1:29
  3. 3 Writer's Bloc (Psycho All the Time) ↗ 2:43
  4. 4 Child Activist ↗ 1:22
  5. 5 Planet Score ↗ 1:41
  6. 6 Jupiter Spin ↗ 2:24
  7. 7 Save the Company ↗ 2:22
  8. 8 Go Without Packing ↗ 1:15
  9. 9 Record Level Love ↗ 1:16
  10. 10 I Am Columbus ↗ 2:55
  11. 11 Difficult Outburst and Breakthrough ↗ 1:42
  12. 12 Calling Up Washington ↗ 1:12
  13. 13 Zero Elasticity ↗ 2:07
  14. 14 Bird With No Name ↗ 1:24
  15. 15 Shine (Tomahawk Breath) ↗ 3:03
  16. 16 Vote For Me Dummy ↗ 2:21
  17. 17 Some Things Are Big (And Some Things Are Small) ↗ 2:09
  18. 18 Bulletin Borders ↗ 1:23
  19. 19 Evangeline Dandelion ↗ 1:17
  20. 20 Alex and the Omegas ↗ 2:16

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Cool Planet

2014 · 18 tracks

  1. 1 Authoritarian Zoo ↗ 2:22
  2. 2 Fast Crawl ↗ 1:42
  3. 3 Psychotic Crush ↗ 1:23
  4. 4 Costume Makes the Man ↗ 2:04
  5. 5 Hat of Flames ↗ 1:32
  6. 6 These Dooms ↗ 2:00
  7. 7 Table at Fool's Tooth ↗ 1:21
  8. 8 All American Boy ↗ 3:45
  9. 9 You Get Every Game ↗ 2:08
  10. 10 Pan Swimmer ↗ 1:02
  11. 11 The Bone Church ↗ 2:15
  12. 12 Bad Love Is Easy to Do ↗ 2:05
  13. 13 The No Doubters ↗ 2:37
  14. 14 Narrated by Paul ↗ 1:06
  15. 15 Cream of Lung ↗ 1:14
  16. 16 Males of Wormwood Mars ↗ 2:53
  17. 17 Ticket to Hide ↗ 3:03
  18. 18 Cool Planet ↗ 1:56

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Please Be Honest

2016 · 15 tracks

  1. 1 My Zodiac Companion ↗ 2:12
  2. 2 Kid on a Ladder ↗ 1:47
  3. 3 Come on Mr. Christian ↗ 2:04
  4. 4 The Grasshopper Eaters ↗ 3:22
  5. 5 Glittering Parliaments ↗ 2:27
  6. 6 The Caterpillar Workforce ↗ 1:28
  7. 7 Sad Baby Eyes ↗ 0:35
  8. 8 The Quickers Arrive ↗ 2:55
  9. 9 Hotel X (Big Soap) ↗ 3:01
  10. 10 I Think a Telescope ↗ 2:30
  11. 11 Please Be Honest ↗ 2:05
  12. 12 Nightmare Jamboree ↗ 2:00
  13. 13 Unfinished Business ↗ 1:30
  14. 14 Defeatist's Lament ↗ 2:23
  15. 15 Eye Shop Heaven ↗ 3:00

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How Do You Spell Heaven

2017 · 15 tracks

  1. 1 The Birthday Democrats ↗ 2:30
  2. 2 King 007 ↗ 2:51
  3. 3 Boy W ↗ 2:34
  4. 4 Steppenwolf Mausoleum ↗ 3:22
  5. 5 Cretinous Number Ones ↗ 1:45
  6. 6 They Fall Silent ↗ 0:55
  7. 7 Diver Dan ↗ 2:04
  8. 8 How to Murder a Man (In 3 Acts) ↗ 2:43
  9. 9 Pearly Gates Smoke Machine ↗ 4:02
  10. 10 Tenth Century ↗ 2:37
  11. 11 How Do You Spell Heaven ↗ 1:53
  12. 12 Paper Cutz ↗ 2:36
  13. 13 Low Flying Perfection ↗ 2:37
  14. 14 Nothing Gets You Real ↗ 2:24
  15. 15 Just to Show You ↗ 2:17

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August By Cake

2017 · 32 tracks

  1. 1 5° on the Inside ↗ 2:28
  2. 2 Generox Gray ® ↗ 1:58
  3. 3 When We All Hold Hands at the End of the World ↗ 2:02
  4. 4 Goodbye Note ↗ 2:51
  5. 5 We Liken the Sun ↗ 2:09
  6. 6 Fever Pitch ↗ 1:01
  7. 7 Absent the Man ↗ 1:36
  8. 8 Packing the Dead Zone ↗ 2:51
  9. 9 What Begins On New Year's Day ↗ 1:59
  10. 10 Overloaded ↗ 3:32
  11. 11 Keep Me Down ↗ 2:33
  12. 12 West Coast Company Man ↗ 1:55
  13. 13 Warm Up to Religion ↗ 1:52
  14. 14 High Five Hall of Famers ↗ 2:08
  15. 15 Sudden Fiction ↗ 2:41
  16. 16 Hiking Skin ↗ 1:56
  17. 17 It's Food ↗ 2:53
  18. 18 Cheap Buttons ↗ 2:11
  19. 19 Substitute 11 ↗ 2:31
  20. 20 Chew the Sand ↗ 3:44
  21. 21 Dr. Feelgood Falls Off the Ocean ↗ 1:59
  22. 22 The Laughing Closet ↗ 1:32
  23. 23 Deflect Project ↗ 2:33
  24. 24 Upon the Circus Bus ↗ 2:20
  25. 25 Try It Out (It's Nothing) ↗ 1:47
  26. 26 Sentimental Wars ↗ 2:48
  27. 27 Circus Day Holdout ↗ 2:02
  28. 28 Whole Tomatoes ↗ 1:12
  29. 29 Amusement Park Is Over ↗ 2:18
  30. 30 Golden Doors ↗ 1:44
  31. 31 The Possible Edge ↗ 2:01
  32. 32 Escape to Phoenix ↗ 2:06

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Space Gun

2018 · 15 tracks

  1. 1 Space Gun ↗ 4:18
  2. 2 Colonel Paper ↗ 2:00
  3. 3 King Flute ↗ 1:22
  4. 4 Ark Technician ↗ 2:19
  5. 5 See My Field ↗ 2:48
  6. 6 Liar's Box ↗ 2:50
  7. 7 Blink Blank ↗ 3:26
  8. 8 Daily Get Ups ↗ 1:35
  9. 9 Hudson Rake ↗ 1:45
  10. 10 Sport Component National ↗ 2:49
  11. 11 I Love Kangaroos ↗ 3:07
  12. 12 Grey Spat Matters ↗ 1:29
  13. 13 That's Good ↗ 3:16
  14. 14 Flight Advantage ↗ 2:23
  15. 15 Evolution Circus ↗ 3:36

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Sweating the Plague

2019 · 12 tracks

  1. 1 Downer ↗ 3:13
  2. 2 Street Party ↗ 2:00
  3. 3 Mother's Milk Elementary ↗ 2:24
  4. 4 Heavy Like the World ↗ 3:13
  5. 5 Ego Central High ↗ 3:02
  6. 6 The Very Second ↗ 4:43
  7. 7 Tiger on Top ↗ 3:02
  8. 8 Unfun Glitz ↗ 2:54
  9. 9 Your Cricket Is Rather Unique ↗ 3:01
  10. 10 Immortals ↗ 3:08
  11. 11 My Wrestling Days Are Over ↗ 2:12
  12. 12 Sons of the Beard ↗ 4:49

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Zeppelin Over China

2019 · 32 tracks

  1. 1 Good Morning Sir ↗ 1:10
  2. 2 Step of the Wave ↗ 3:00
  3. 3 Carapace ↗ 3:03
  4. 4 Send in the Suicide Squad ↗ 2:06
  5. 5 Blurring the Contacts ↗ 1:57
  6. 6 Your Lights Are Out ↗ 3:25
  7. 7 Windshield Wiper Rex ↗ 1:29
  8. 8 Holy Rhythm ↗ 2:39
  9. 9 Jack Tell ↗ 3:20
  10. 10 Bellicose Starling ↗ 2:15
  11. 11 Wrong Turn On ↗ 1:49
  12. 12 Charmless Peters ↗ 3:21
  13. 13 The Rally Boys ↗ 1:44
  14. 14 Think. Be a Man. ↗ 2:31
  15. 15 Jam Warsong ↗ 2:30
  16. 16 You Own the Night ↗ 3:24
  17. 17 Everything's Thrilling ↗ 2:13
  18. 18 Nice About You ↗ 1:57
  19. 19 Einstein's Angel ↗ 2:37
  20. 20 The Hearing Department ↗ 3:18
  21. 21 Questions of the Test ↗ 3:00
  22. 22 No Point ↗ 2:06
  23. 23 Lurk of the Worm ↗ 3:02
  24. 24 Zeppelin over China ↗ 0:39
  25. 25 Where Have You Been All My Life ↗ 1:49
  26. 26 Cold Cold Hands ↗ 1:57
  27. 27 Transpiring Anathema ↗ 2:03
  28. 28 We Can Make Music ↗ 1:43
  29. 29 Cobbler Ditches ↗ 1:49
  30. 30 Enough Is Never at the End ↗ 1:14
  31. 31 My Future in Barcelona ↗ 3:49
  32. 32 Vertiginous Raft ↗ 1:44

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Warp and Woof

2019 · 24 tracks

  1. 1 Bury the Mouse ↗ 1:30
  2. 2 Angelic Weirdness ↗ 1:30
  3. 3 Foreign Deputies ↗ 1:00
  4. 4 Dead Liquor Store ↗ 1:31
  5. 5 Mumbling Amens ↗ 1:53
  6. 6 Cohesive Scoops ↗ 1:31
  7. 7 Photo Range Within ↗ 1:14
  8. 8 My Dog Surprise ↗ 1:38
  9. 9 Tiny Apes ↗ 1:07
  10. 10 Blue Jay House ↗ 2:02
  11. 11 Down the Island ↗ 1:37
  12. 12 Thimble Society ↗ 1:44
  13. 13 My Angel ↗ 1:27
  14. 14 More Reduction Linda ↗ 1:33
  15. 15 Cool Jewels and Aprons ↗ 1:23
  16. 16 Even Next ↗ 1:39
  17. 17 It Will Never Be Simple ↗ 2:31
  18. 18 The Stars Behind Us ↗ 1:22
  19. 19 Skull Arrow ↗ 1:03
  20. 20 Out of the Blue Race ↗ 1:22
  21. 21 Coming Back from Now On ↗ 1:52
  22. 22 The Pipers, the Vipers, the Snakes! ↗ 1:47
  23. 23 Time Remains in Central Position ↗ 1:50
  24. 24 End It With Light ↗ 1:11

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Mirrored Aztec

2020 · 18 tracks

  1. 1 I Think I Had It. I Think I Have It Again ↗ 1:53
  2. 2 Bunco Men ↗ 2:22
  3. 3 Citizen's Blitz ↗ 1:59
  4. 4 To Keep an Area ↗ 2:21
  5. 5 Easier Not Charming ↗ 1:28
  6. 6 Please Don't Be Honest ↗ 2:29
  7. 7 Show of Hands ↗ 2:55
  8. 8 Lip Curlers ↗ 2:07
  9. 9 Math Rock ↗ 2:26
  10. 10 Transfusion ↗ 3:23
  11. 11 Biker's Nest ↗ 1:53
  12. 12 A Whale Is Top Notch ↗ 1:04
  13. 13 I Touch Down ↗ 1:48
  14. 14 Haircut Sphinx ↗ 2:22
  15. 15 Screaming the Night Away ↗ 1:56
  16. 16 Thank You Jane ↗ 3:07
  17. 17 The Best Foot Forwards ↗ 2:26
  18. 18 Party Rages On ↗ 2:22

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Surrender Your Poppy Field

2020 · 15 tracks

  1. 1 Year of the Hard Hitter ↗ 4:02
  2. 2 Volcano ↗ 3:06
  3. 3 Queen Parking Lot ↗ 1:29
  4. 4 Arthur Has Business Elsewhere ↗ 2:55
  5. 5 Cul-De-Sac Kids ↗ 2:36
  6. 6 Cat Beats a Drum ↗ 2:38
  7. 7 Windjammer ↗ 2:40
  8. 8 Steely Dodger ↗ 2:44
  9. 9 Stone Cold Moron ↗ 2:30
  10. 10 Physician ↗ 3:37
  11. 11 Man Called Blunder ↗ 2:50
  12. 12 Woah Nelly ↗ 1:01
  13. 13 Andre the Hawk ↗ 2:01
  14. 14 Always Gone ↗ 1:37
  15. 15 Next Sea Level ↗ 3:07

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Styles We Paid For

2020 · 15 tracks

  1. 1 Megaphone Riley ↗ 2:06
  2. 2 They Don't Play the Drums Anymore ↗ 2:08
  3. 3 Slaughterhouse ↗ 4:32
  4. 4 Endless Seafood ↗ 2:58
  5. 5 Mr Child ↗ 3:22
  6. 6 Stops ↗ 2:04
  7. 7 War of the Devils ↗ 2:32
  8. 8 Electronic Windows to Nowhere ↗ 1:57
  9. 9 Never Abandon Ship ↗ 1:56
  10. 10 Roll Me to Heaven ↗ 2:16
  11. 11 In Calculus Strategem ↗ 2:04
  12. 12 Crash at Lake Placebo ↗ 2:45
  13. 13 Liquid Kid ↗ 3:23
  14. 14 Time Without Looking ↗ 1:43
  15. 15 When Growing Was Simple ↗ 2:31

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It’s Not Them. It Couldn’t Be Them. It Is Them!

2021 · 15 tracks

  1. 1 Spanish Coin ↗ 3:20
  2. 2 High in the Rain ↗ 3:39
  3. 3 Dance of Gurus ↗ 2:37
  4. 4 Flying Without a License ↗ 2:47
  5. 5 Psycho House ↗ 2:47
  6. 6 Maintenance Man of the Haunted House ↗ 2:43
  7. 7 I Share a Rhythm ↗ 2:02
  8. 8 Razor Bug ↗ 1:06
  9. 9 I Wanna Monkey ↗ 2:49
  10. 10 Cherub and the Great Child Actor ↗ 2:06
  11. 11 Black and White Eyes in a Prism ↗ 4:39
  12. 12 People Need Holes ↗ 2:43
  13. 13 The Bell Gets Out of the Way ↗ 2:27
  14. 14 Chain Gang Island ↗ 3:51
  15. 15 My (Limited) Engagement ↗ 2:05

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Earth Man Blues

2021 · 15 tracks

  1. 1 Made Man ↗ 1:22
  2. 2 The Disconnected Citizen ↗ 3:12
  3. 3 The Batman Sees the Ball ↗ 3:18
  4. 4 Dirty Kid School ↗ 2:56
  5. 5 Trust Them Now ↗ 2:21
  6. 6 Lights Out In Memphis (Egypt) ↗ 5:41
  7. 7 Free Agents ↗ 2:00
  8. 8 Sunshine Girl Hello ↗ 2:25
  9. 9 Wave Starter ↗ 1:34
  10. 10 Ant Repellent ↗ 2:36
  11. 11 Margaret Middle School ↗ 1:10
  12. 12 I Bet Hippy ↗ 2:30
  13. 13 Test Pilot ↗ 1:30
  14. 14 How Can a Plumb Be Perfected? ↗ 2:59
  15. 15 Child's Play ↗ 1:38

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Crystal Nuns Cathedral

2022 · 12 tracks

  1. 1 Eye City ↗ 4:09
  2. 2 Re-Develop ↗ 3:06
  3. 3 Climbing a Ramp ↗ 2:41
  4. 4 Never Mind the List ↗ 2:50
  5. 5 Birds In the Pipe ↗ 2:55
  6. 6 Come North Together ↗ 2:56
  7. 7 Forced To Sea ↗ 3:33
  8. 8 Huddled ↗ 2:51
  9. 9 Excited Ones ↗ 3:05
  10. 10 Eyes of Your Doctor ↗ 4:05
  11. 11 Mad River Man ↗ 4:12
  12. 12 Crystal Nuns Cathedral ↗ 1:48

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Tremblers and Goggles by Rank

2022 · 10 tracks

  1. 1 Lizard On the Red Brick Wall ↗ 4:39
  2. 2 Alex Bell ↗ 5:04
  3. 3 Unproductive Funk ↗ 3:28
  4. 4 Roosevelt's Marching Band ↗ 4:11
  5. 5 Goggles By Rank ↗ 2:49
  6. 6 Cartoon Fashion (Bongo Lake) ↗ 2:57
  7. 7 Boomerang ↗ 1:54
  8. 8 Focus On the Flock ↗ 3:13
  9. 9 Puzzle Two ↗ 2:58
  10. 10 Who Wants to Go Hunting? ↗ 6:18

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La La Land

2023 · 11 tracks

  1. 1 Another Day to Heal ↗ 1:49
  2. 2 Released Into Dementia ↗ 2:19
  3. 3 Ballroom Etiquette ↗ 2:48
  4. 4 Instinct Dwelling ↗ 2:47
  5. 5 Queen of Spaces ↗ 3:01
  6. 6 Slowly on the Wheel ↗ 6:00
  7. 7 Cousin Jackie ↗ 4:02
  8. 8 Wild Kingdom ↗ 3:21
  9. 9 Caution Song ↗ 2:18
  10. 10 Face Eraser ↗ 2:51
  11. 11 Pockets ↗ 3:48

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Nowhere to Go but Up

2023 · 11 tracks

  1. 1 The Race Is On, The King Is Dead ↗ 3:30
  2. 2 Puncher's Parade ↗ 3:53
  3. 3 Local Master Airplane ↗ 2:16
  4. 4 How Did He Get Up There? ↗ 4:03
  5. 5 Stabbing at Fractions ↗ 2:48
  6. 6 Love Set ↗ 3:54
  7. 7 We're Going the Wrong Way In ↗ 2:31
  8. 8 Jack of Legs ↗ 3:37
  9. 9 For the Home ↗ 4:38
  10. 10 Cruel for Rats ↗ 3:03
  11. 11 Song and Dance ↗ 4:31

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Welshpool Frillies

2023 · 15 tracks

  1. 1 Meet the Star ↗ 3:26
  2. 2 Cruisers' Cross ↗ 3:30
  3. 3 Romeo Surgeon ↗ 3:18
  4. 4 Chain Dance ↗ 1:58
  5. 5 Why Won't You Kiss Me ↗ 2:09
  6. 6 Animal Concentrate ↗ 2:38
  7. 7 Cats On Heat ↗ 1:39
  8. 8 Mother Mirth ↗ 1:27
  9. 9 Don't Blow Your Dream Job ↗ 3:34
  10. 10 Awake Man ↗ 2:19
  11. 11 Rust Belt Boogie ↗ 4:08
  12. 12 Seedling ↗ 2:47
  13. 13 Better Odds ↗ 2:43
  14. 14 Radioactive Pigeons ↗ 2:30
  15. 15 Welshpool Frillies ↗ 2:54

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Strut of Kings

2024 · 11 tracks

  1. 1 Show Me the Castle ↗ 4:25
  2. 2 Dear Onion ↗ 1:48
  3. 3 This Will Go On ↗ 2:09
  4. 4 Fictional Environment Dream ↗ 3:56
  5. 5 Olympus C**k in Radiana ↗ 2:51
  6. 6 Leaving Umbrella ↗ 3:37
  7. 7 Cavemen Running Naked ↗ 2:23
  8. 8 Timing Voice ↗ 3:33
  9. 9 Bit of a Crunch ↗ 4:43
  10. 10 Serene King ↗ 3:14
  11. 11 Bicycle Garden ↗ 3:07

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Universe Room

2025 · 17 tracks

  1. 1 Driving Time ↗ 2:06
  2. 2 I Couldn't See the Light ↗ 2:56
  3. 3 I Will Be a Monk ↗ 1:31
  4. 4 The Great Man ↗ 2:04
  5. 5 Clearly Aware ↗ 2:37
  6. 6 Dawn Believes ↗ 3:27
  7. 7 Play Shadows ↗ 2:01
  8. 8 Fly Religion ↗ 2:26
  9. 9 The Well Known Soldier ↗ 1:11
  10. 10 Hers Purple ↗ 1:05
  11. 11 Independent Animal ↗ 1:13
  12. 12 19th Man To Fly An Airplane ↗ 3:44
  13. 13 Elfin Flower With Knees ↗ 2:19
  14. 14 FranCisco ↗ 3:08
  15. 15 Aluminum Stingray Girl ↗ 2:19
  16. 16 Aesop Dreamed of Lions ↗ 3:07
  17. 17 Everybody's a Star ↗ 2:23

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Thick Rich and Delicious

2025 · 15 tracks

  1. 1 Babies and Gentlemen ↗ 1:21
  2. 2 (You Can't Go Back To) Oxford Talawanda ↗ 2:36
  3. 3 Phantasmagoric Upstarts ↗ 2:52
  4. 4 Lucy's World ↗ 2:37
  5. 5 Our Man Syracuse ↗ 2:29
  6. 6 Mother John ↗ 2:39
  7. 7 Dance of the Picnic Ants ↗ 1:28
  8. 8 Xeno Urban ↗ 3:21
  9. 9 A Tribute to Beatle Bob ↗ 2:46
  10. 10 Replay ↗ 2:41
  11. 11 Siren ↗ 2:37
  12. 12 The Lighthouse Resurrection ↗ 2:13
  13. 13 A. Glum Swoboda ↗ 3:26
  14. 14 Ozark Ivanho ↗ 1:14
  15. 15 Captain Kangaroo Won the War ↗ 3:10

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Albums
41 albums
  1. Sandbox
    Guided by Voices
    1987
    12 tracks
  2. Devil Between My Toes
    Guided by Voices
    1987
    14 tracks
  3. Self-Inflicted Aerial Nostalgia
    Guided by Voices
    1989
    14 tracks
  4. Same Place the Fly Got Smashed
    Guided by Voices
    1990
    13 tracks
  5. Propeller
    Guided by Voices
    1992
    15 tracks
  6. Vampire on Titus
    Guided by Voices
    1993
    18 tracks
  7. Bee Thousand
    Guided by Voices
    1994
    20 tracks
  8. Alien Lanes
    Guided by Voices
    1995
    28 tracks
  9. Under the Bushes Under the Stars
    Guided by Voices
    1996
    24 tracks
  10. Mag Earwhig!
    Guided by Voices
    1997
    21 tracks
  11. Do the Collapse
    Guided by Voices
    1999
    16 tracks
  12. Isolation Drills
    Guided by Voices
    2001
    16 tracks
  13. Universal Truths and Cycles
    Guided by Voices
    2002
    19 tracks
  14. Earthquake Glue
    Guided by Voices
    2003
    15 tracks
  15. Half Smiles of the Decomposed
    Guided by Voices
    2004
    14 tracks
  16. The Bears for Lunch
    Guided by Voices
    2012
    19 tracks
  17. Let’s Go Eat the Factory
    Guided by Voices
    2012
    20 tracks
  18. Class Clown Spots a UFO
    Guided by Voices
    2012
    21 tracks
  19. English Little League
    Guided by Voices
    2013
    17 tracks
  20. Motivational Jumpsuit
    Guided by Voices
    2014
    20 tracks
  21. Cool Planet
    Guided by Voices
    2014
    18 tracks
  22. Please Be Honest
    Guided by Voices
    2016
    15 tracks
  23. How Do You Spell Heaven
    Guided by Voices
    2017
    15 tracks
  24. August By Cake
    Guided by Voices
    2017
    32 tracks
  25. Space Gun
    Guided by Voices
    2018
    15 tracks
  26. Sweating the Plague
    Guided by Voices
    2019
    12 tracks
  27. Zeppelin Over China
    Guided by Voices
    2019
    32 tracks
  28. Warp and Woof
    Guided by Voices
    2019
    24 tracks
  29. Mirrored Aztec
    Guided by Voices
    2020
    18 tracks
  30. Surrender Your Poppy Field
    Guided by Voices
    2020
    15 tracks
  31. Styles We Paid For
    Guided by Voices
    2020
    15 tracks
  32. It’s Not Them. It Couldn’t Be Them. It Is Them!
    Guided by Voices
    2021
    15 tracks
  33. Earth Man Blues
    Guided by Voices
    2021
    15 tracks
  34. Crystal Nuns Cathedral
    Guided by Voices
    2022
    12 tracks
  35. Tremblers and Goggles by Rank
    Guided by Voices
    2022
    10 tracks
  36. La La Land
    Guided by Voices
    2023
    11 tracks
  37. Nowhere to Go but Up
    Guided by Voices
    2023
    11 tracks
  38. Welshpool Frillies
    Guided by Voices
    2023
    15 tracks
  39. Strut of Kings
    Guided by Voices
    2024
    11 tracks
  40. Universe Room
    Guided by Voices
    2025
    17 tracks
  41. Thick Rich and Delicious
    Guided by Voices
    2025
    15 tracks

Deep Dive

Overview

Guided by Voices is an American indie rock band formed in 1983 in Dayton, Ohio, that became one of the most prolific and influential acts in lo-fi and indie rock. Led by singer and songwriter Robert Pollard, whose restless creative output has defined the band’s trajectory across four decades, Guided by Voices emerged from the American heartland to reshape underground rock music in the 1990s. The band’s core identity rests on Pollard’s gift for crafting melodic songs on four-track tape machines, a DIY approach that influenced countless indie and alternative rock artists long before lo-fi production became fashionable.

Formation Story

Guided by Voices coalesced in Dayton, Ohio, in 1983 as Robert Pollard began recording songs in isolation, treating the project initially as a solo venture with studio collaborators. Pollard remained the group’s sole constant through numerous lineup changes, a deliberate artistic choice that allowed him to pursue his prolific songwriting impulses without constraint. By the early 1990s, a stable working lineup emerged featuring Pollard on vocals, his brother Jim, guitarist and keyboardist Tobin Sprout, drummer Kevin Fennell, bassist Greg Demos, and guitarist Mitch Mitchell. This ensemble became the most recognizable incarnation of the band and would drive their mainstream indie rock breakthrough.

Breakthrough Moment

Guided by Voices’ transition from Dayton cult phenomenon to national indie rock presence crystallized with the release of Bee Thousand in 1994, a 20-track collection that immediately became a touchstone for lo-fi aesthetics in underground rock. The album’s deliberately lo-fi production, melodic song construction, and sheer volume of ideas—each track a fully realized pop-rock miniature—struck a chord with college radio and indie rock publications. The following year, Alien Lanes (1995) cemented this momentum, expanding the band’s audience while maintaining the stripped-down sound that had defined their earlier work. These two albums positioned Guided by Voices as central figures in a broader 1990s movement that valued songwriting craft and emotional directness over studio polish.

Peak Era

The mid-to-late 1990s marked Guided by Voices’ period of greatest creative visibility and cultural impact. Albums including Vampire on Titus (1993), Bee Thousand (1994), Alien Lanes (1995), Under the Bushes Under the Stars (1996), and Mag Earwhig! (1997) established the band’s sonic template and proved its sustainability. Do the Collapse (1999) demonstrated an evolution toward more polished production while retaining the melodic urgency that defined their sound. Throughout this era, Pollard’s songwriting remained the nucleus, with supporting musicians like Tobin Sprout and Mitch Mitchell contributing instrumental textures and arrangements that enriched the foundational compositions. The band’s ability to release multiple albums in single years—a pattern visible throughout their discography—reflected both Pollard’s prolific nature and the band’s commitment to keeping material in circulation.

Musical Style

Guided by Voices’ sound draws from power pop, post-punk, and 1980s alternative rock, filtered through the lo-fi production methods that became central to their identity. The band’s early recordings, made on four-track tape machines, embraced audible hiss, compression artifacts, and tape saturation as integral to the music’s character rather than limitations to overcome. Melodically, Pollard and Sprout crafted songs in the tradition of British Invasion pop-rock, with angular guitar riffs, unexpected harmonic turns, and vocal melodies that often subverted conventional song structures. As the band matured across the late 1990s and beyond, production quality increased on some releases, though the emphasis on direct melodic communication and unconventional arrangements remained constant. The rhythm section—Fennell’s drums and Demos’ bass—typically operated within tight, propulsive frameworks that anchored Pollard’s wandering vocal lines and layered guitar textures. Sprout’s keyboard playing added harmonic sophistication and occasional psychedelic coloring, while guest musicians expanded the sonic palette without diluting the band’s core identity.

Major Albums

Bee Thousand (1994)

A defining lo-fi indie rock statement, Bee Thousand’s 20 concise tracks established Guided by Voices as architects of a new underground aesthetic, with melodic construction trumping production fidelity.

Alien Lanes (1995)

Expanding on Bee Thousand’s formula with slightly expanded arrangements and a broader emotional range, Alien Lanes became the band’s most beloved album, proving the durability of their songwriting approach.

Under the Bushes Under the Stars (1996)

This album marked a step toward fuller production without abandoning the band’s core melodic identity, featuring some of their most fully realized pop-rock compositions alongside experimental detours.

Mag Earwhig! (1997)

Reflecting Pollard’s continued restlessness, Mag Earwhig! showcased further sonic expansion and varied influences, demonstrating that the band could sustain creative momentum into the late 1990s.

Do the Collapse (1999)

Moving beyond lo-fi constraints while retaining melodic focus, Do the Collapse represented a natural evolution and arguably the band’s final album of the original peak era before a hiatus.

Isolation Drills (2001)

Returning after a two-year absence, Isolation Drills reasserted the band’s relevance in a post-lo-fi independent rock landscape, proving Guided by Voices’ appeal transcended production trends.

Signature Songs

  • “Gold Soul Standard” — A propulsive power-pop moment that distills the band’s melodic ambitions into a radio-friendly format.
  • “A Little Space” — An intimate vocal-and-guitar composition that showcases Pollard’s ability to convey emotional vulnerability within the band’s broader aesthetic.
  • “Game of Pricks” — A driving track that combines aggressive guitar work with hooky vocal melodies, exemplifying the band’s tonal range.
  • “I Am a Scientist” — An indie rock anthem that achieved wider exposure, demonstrating the band’s crossover potential without compromising artistic vision.
  • “Tractor Rape Chain” — A lo-fi gem from Alien Lanes that encapsulates the band’s gift for memorable melodic fragments buried in tape hiss.
  • “The Official Ironmen Rally Song” — A quirky, structured pop-rock piece that reveals the band’s sense of humor and willingness to embrace unconventional song subjects.

Influence on Rock

Guided by Voices fundamentally altered indie rock’s relationship with production quality and commercial viability. By demonstrating that lo-fi aesthetics could serve compelling songwriting rather than function as markers of poverty, the band gave permission to countless artists to embrace rough textures, tape compression, and home-recording as artistic choices. The band’s influence radiated across 1990s and 2000s indie rock, affecting acts ranging from Neutral Milk Hotel to Lo-Fidelity Allstars, who adopted Guided by Voices’ philosophy that melody and emotional sincerity transcended studio polish. Robert Pollard’s prolific output—multiple album releases per year—also influenced the independent rock model of direct artist-to-listener distribution, presaging the streaming era’s album-centric release schedules. The band’s success on independent and eventually major indie labels (Matador Records, TVT Records) proved there was a substantial audience for uncompromising alternative rock in the 1990s, opening doors for other Midwestern acts and validating regional rock scenes outside traditional industry centers.

Legacy

Guided by Voices’ sustained activity across four decades—continuing to release albums regularly into the 2020s, with releases like Strut of Kings (2024) and Universe Room (2025) demonstrating ongoing creative momentum—positions them as elder statesmen of indie rock. The band’s prolific catalog, spanning from Sandbox (1987) to recent work, documents a consistent artistic vision even as individual lineups shifted. Though not typically discussed in the same breath as mainstream 1990s rock phenomena, their influence on the underground remains substantial, with their reissues and catalog serving as historical markers of American independent music’s evolution. The band’s transition from lo-fi pioneers to established indie rock institution reflects broader changes in how alternative music is consumed and valorized; what once seemed marginal or deliberately anti-commercial has become canonized. Robert Pollard’s longevity as a recording artist—continuing to produce new material well into his sixties—offers a model of artistic persistence and creative renewal that stands apart from rock’s typical boom-and-bust cycles.

Fun Facts

  • Robert Pollard recorded early Guided by Voices material largely in isolation before assembling the core band lineup, making the project initially more solo endeavor than traditional rock group.
  • The band has maintained remarkable consistency in album releases across decades, with production accelerating notably from 2012 onward, suggesting a shift toward greater output in their mature years.
  • Guided by Voices emerged from Dayton, Ohio, a region not typically associated with indie rock prominence at the time, helping establish the Midwest as a wellspring of underground musical creativity.
  • The band’s most well-known lineup featured two guitarists—Tobin Sprout and Mitch Mitchell—whose complementary playing styles and instrumental contributions helped define the band’s signature sound.