Guided by Voices – ‘Nowhere To Go But Up’ album review: a lacklustre collection of songs
Robert Pollard could have put his feet up years ago, sipped cocktails on an island, rejoicing in all that he has achieved, and nobody would have minded. Yet, the Guided by Voices leader is one of the most unrelenting creatives of a generation. The beer-swigging former teacher has always been an exemplary force in rock music and has now delivered another batch of songs in the form of Nowhere To Go But Up, their third record of 2023.
However, those hoping for a Pollard masterstroke may well be disappointed. The latest Guided by Voices effort is nowhere near their best album or even their best release of the year. The recently released Welshpool Frillies is superior in almost every way. The harsh reality is that around a third of the tracks included simply do not need to be there.
Thankfully, this is still Pollard’s band we’re talking about, and musically, they deliver an above-average array of tunes. Pollard writes in the belly of an all-encompassing stream of consciousness, with his natural aptitude for the craft meaning most of the tracks keep their head above water. Trying to deliver a trilogy of LPs in one year was always likely to push him to the edge, so why even attempt it when one exceptional record would have been preferred to a trio that maybe doesn’t hit the mark?
The truth is, Pollard has always been in it for himself, not for the praise or trappings of fame. Straddling the line between outsider artist and cult hero, the Dayton, Ohio, native has always kept on trucking, following his creative vision and sense of the self, despite an ever-changing zeitgeist and the myriad obstacles that have greeted him. This unwavering nature is a vital part of his brand, and he lets it all hang out on the latest release.
Nowhere To Go But Up is certainly a more dissonant album than its predecessor. Heavily guitar-oriented, the other electronic textures Pollard and the band are known for toying with are mostly stripped away. At several points throughout the LP, it sounds like the wheels might well come off as the atonal vocal performance threatens to derail the whole thing. However, these bursts are brief, and Pollard resets course, saving listeners too much discomfort.
The record opens with one of the group’s strongest contemporary efforts, ‘The Race Is On, The King Is Dead’, which arrives with one of Pollard’s vintage vocal melodies and a simple but crunching chord progression straight from the band’s late 1990s period. Adding something different to the formula, the chime of bells in the background puts a somewhat ethereal twist on the music as the soft jingles converge with the romantic, swooning essence of the synths.
This is followed by ‘Puncher’s Parade’, another highlight and candid emotional pit stop. The sweetly toned guitars dovetail with Pollard’s vocals about “happy pills” and “psycho thrills”, which oscillate through the frontman’s register with effective melisma, prompting a touch of introspection. The warm swells of the bass are also a compelling aspect, providing a seasonally appropriate blue tone.
Other exciting moments on the album include the psychedelic, 1960s-evoking introduction of ‘Love Set’ thanks to the busy 12-string guitar and the closer, ‘Song and Dance’. The latter starts with the atmospheric strums of the six strings before it slowly builds to a chugging climax, signalled by a sharp earworm of a riff. It’s a combination of searing imagination, compelling emotional drive and a unique vision that has always made Pollard such a vital songwriter.
It’s a trick the Guided by Voices leader is adept at by now, even if, with moments like the final third of ‘Jack of Legs’, it feels overdone on this record. It would be interesting to hear him go for it full hog and push the band into a more expansive and wholly punishing area à la Michael Gira, but I get the sense Pollard will never forgo his lo-fi roots or penchant for melody, sticking to the blueprint that has seen him gain such success.
For now, though, it sounds like Pollard’s usual bag of tricks is starting to show wear and tear after being used so many times. His sheer volume of work is also clearly starting to become an issue. What can be gained from releasing so many songs and albums if they combine to lower the bar of a catalogue that has produced the searing heights that made him such a legend?
Three albums in a year is a lot by anyone’s standards, and Pollard does himself something of a disservice by letting moments out into the world that do not need to be there. Clearly, there’s still fuel in the tank, but Guided by Voices should be driving the car a little less often.
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