Guided by Voices gives new meaning to La La Land

Guided by Voices is on an unstoppable train of producing music. They released three albums in 2020, two in 2021, and another two in 2022. Their first album of the year, La La Land, is only next in the line of creative and melodramatic music. La La Land is an album that, unlike a certain movie sharing the same name, does not bask in the glitter and illusion of art. Rather it feels stripped down and raw. Songs will have long expressive instrumental solos, or a track will go half its length before the piano uses more than one note, like in “Slowly on the Wheel.” 

La La Land opens with two songs that bleed into each other, “Another Day to Heal” and “Released into Dementia.” They are two pieces with contrasting tones, the former beginning with a short fast pop style featuring dirty guitar riffs and a clear garage band aesthetic. As it transitions into the second song, the guitar immediately shifts into a funkier rhythm driven by both acoustic and the distorted electric guitar. The result is a fresh form of folk rock with lead singer Robert Pollard’s airy voice floating over your head. 

Pollard’s voice fits the genre so well some of these songs sound as if they could have come directly from the 60s or 70s, reminiscent of Paul McCartney or David Bowie. “Instinct Dwelling” is a piece that would fit right in next to “Ziggy Stardust.” The marching beat of the drums and the call/response between the guitar and Pollard give a sense of tension. A suspense that is held as Pollard sings “Until then, keep us here.”

The album holds your attention as it whips back and forth in tone and timbre, with “Caution Song” acting as a melancholy break with echoes filling your stereo. Of course, the natural follow up to that would be “Face Eraser,” a classic punk style song in the vein of The Clash filled with aggressive lyrics and fast chords. La La Land is a welcome addition to their decades long discography and exemplifies Guided by Voices’ constant sonic exploration.