Guided by Voices - Nowhere to Go But Up (2023)

Nowhere to Go But Up (2023)

Guided by Voices

As a member of a GBV social media group, I've gotten used to the (minimum) thrice-yearly bursts of hyperbole that accompany Pollard-related releases. And sure, in any (not a) cult beholden to an artist, you're always going to find that element of completely non-objective loyalty and you just try to do your best to filter out their breathy platitudes and go in open-minded. As people started getting their orders from Rockathon, the hyperbolizers started hyperbolizing and this album was hailed as the best thing this line-up has put out and debatedly on par with B-1000 or Alien Lanes. The reality though is that the output of this line-up, while consistently good, hasn't exactly been earth-shattering. Really, only a trve-GBV-fan is going to appreciate the differences between say, "How Do You Spell Heaven" and "Styles We Paid For". For most, a release is going to need to be truly exceptional before making the effort of seeking it out.

So then, the obvious question is: "In a world of 100,000 Robert Pollard releases, is this worth the time?"

In short, yes. The one thing I've noticed is that Pollard's songwriting lately seems to have the live experience factored in. "Stabbing at Fractions" and "For the Home" especially are anthemic tracks perfect for getting the beer and sweat to start flying. The tiresome and banal observations by many about the lack of choruses leave out that Pollard rarely uses formulaic structures in his songwriting. His touchstones are usually an interesting melodic line, a hook or a riff and it's irrelevant if they've been packaged in a predictable and consumable way. And thankfully "Nowhere to Go But Up" has plenty of earwormable melodies and chuggy riffs to make this one of the more recommendable later-era GBV releases. I'm just thankful there's no "Razor Bug" on it, and so should you.