Guided By Voices - Cool Planet

*After announcing my Write My Review of the New Guided By Voices Record contest on my blog I was inundated with submissions of varying style and quality. Here are the top two finalists.

The first is from a self-described “academic” of rock criticism:

After nearly two months of enduring countless promotional tie-ins, product placement, teaser YouTube clips, and PSA-style ads by Jay Carney and Steven Soderbergh, we finally have the new Guided By Voices record, Cool Planet. Despite criticism over their vertical monopoly on GBV related product, coupled with a former band member's attempts to profit from past glories, the international phenomenon from Dayton, OH forge ahead.

Working for the first time in local a Dayton studio, the band reconvened after taking an afternoon off the day before Motivational Jumpsuit came out. It was during this respite Robert Pollard was able to squeeze in time to pen the tracks for Cool Planet. The record also welcomes back drummer Kevin March whose initial run with the band was from 2002-2004 during the band's post-classic/post-Matador/post-TVT/second Matador run/original/pre-classic era. Understanding GBV's Chronology 101 is now being offered at NYU btw.

The band finally take a serious stab at economy, managing to shave nearly one-minute-30-seconds off of Motivational Jumpsuit's 37:55 run time. Alas, they were still only able to come up with 18 new songs for Cool Planet, as opposed to Motivational Jumpsuit's 20, which is a larger amount. GBV still manage to pack in the typical assortment of lo-fi indie-pop and indie lo-fi pop, with the occasional alternative rocker for good measure.

When he first arrived on the scene in 1974 as Little Bobby Pop, it didn't take anyone long to see him as the heir to Dylan's legacy as the mid-west's favorite son, and Robert Pollard has left no stone unturned in securing this legacy. Cool Planet is yet another worthy addition to his esteemed cannon.

*The second is from a self described “mouthpiece” for the highest office in American politics:

Guided by Voices fucking rocks!!! Holy Shit!! This record is just the total shit! Kevin March beat the hell out of those drums man!!! Yeah Yeah Yeah Yeah!!! Table at Fool's Tooth!!!!! Are you KIDDING ME??!! Pan Swimmer??? Oh just kill me now...

*Me, I personally feel this is definitely a record by Guided by Voices.