Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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Tf1 / Movies Jji The voice of Vie collapse9 'The first great rock show of the millennium' by Robert Fleming Assistant Encore Editor One of the premier Indie rock bands of the last 10 years is com ing to Columbia. Guided By Voic es will be appearing Friday night, tour ing in support of their latest album, “Do the Collapse.” Friday’s appearance at the Elbow Room Music Hall marks the first time these 14-year veterans of rock have ever played here. Guided By Voices have been a vital part of rock music for many years now. First formed in 1986 out of Dayton, Ohio, GBV began playing and record ing their own style of low-fidelity rock that had in fluences ranging from the ‘60s (White Album-Bea tles, The Who) to underground rock of their time (Replacements, early R.E.M.). Although the name has remained the same, GBV have gone through significant roster changes after the release of most of their albums. Only lead singer/songwriter Robert Pollard has been in each incarnation of the band. Guided By Voices recorded a number of al bums and EPs before releasing their 5th effort, 1992’s Propeller. Propeller and their 6th release, 1993’s Vampire on Titus, created a fantastic buzz s-6 -■ s among critics and fans alike. Constant touring and releasing albums gave them an increasing fan base that now ranges far from their hometown of Dayton. As a result of all the attention, GBV soon signed onto indepen dent rock’s label of labels, Matador records, to re lease the 1994 album Bee Thousand. This album received a lionshare of critical praise and solidified the band as a mainstay of underground rock. With the release of Bee Thousand making them a band to take notice of, GBV released sev eral more albums and EPs on the Matador label in cluding 1995’s Alien Lanes, 1,996’s Under the Bush es Under the Stars and 1997’s Mag Earwhig! After 1997’s Mag Earwhig! GBV left the ranks of Mata dor and were signed to TVT records to release their 11th full-length album, last year’s Do the Collapse. ‘The last great rock album of the millennium.’ Do the Collapse represents a departure from the way GBV has recorded albums in the past. The short, roughly produced songs are thrown out the window, and instead an album of fully developed, polished songs are presented. Also gone are the lo-fi aspects that the band built a career around. Collapse’s all hi-fi sound can best be attributed to the band’s evolution over time and to the addition of former Cars frontman Ric Ocasek as producer. From the opening song “Teenage FBI,” the change in GBV sound is apparent. Collapse flows beautifully from start to finish. The static guitars have been replaced with the occasional string sec tion and piano chorus. That doesn’t mean the band has gone soft. Rock and Roll is still the law in the GBV universe, and they uphold to it the fullest de gree. “Hold on Hope” is quite possibly one of the most uplifting and memorable songs the band has I-1 ever set to tape. And further listening reveals more rock gems like “Surgical Focus” and “Picture Me Big Time.” Robert Pollard continues to prove that he is one of the leading lyricists and songwriters of the past 15 years. With Do the Collapse, GBV seems to no longer be complacent with the title “lo-fi indie rock leg ends” and is throwing in its bid to go after the ti tle of “rock legends” as well. Do the Collapse has received a number of crit ical praises since its release in midsummer. The al bum did remarkably well among the college ra dio circuit, reaching up to number one on the College Music Journal (CMJ) charts, as well as spending more than three weeks as the No. 1 record on our own WUSC-FM. Fewer than 20 days removed from 1999, GBV has appeared on numerous Top ten lists for albums of the year. In addition to this, Guided By Voices were chosen as one of the 9 artists of the year in Magnet Magazine along with artists such as Tom Whits, The Flaming Lips, Beth Orton, and the Mag netic Fields. Guided By Voices are not resting on the pil low of their praise, though. The band is on a tour that brings them through the heart of the South, making stops at the Elbow Room Music Hall in Five Points on Friday and at the 40 Watt in Athens, Ga. on Saturday. This marks the first occasion (least to my knowl edge) that GBV has ever graced this city with their presence. So if you’re going to be in Five Points this Friday night (as many of you will be), go check out Guided By Voices and see one of the best live shows to come to this city for a long time. Guided By Voices Do The Collapse