Alien Lanes

I dunno. I wasn't crazy about this.

The best lo-fi album ever made. Great songs that are often too short and merely sketches of something even greater.

Youll completely forget youre listening to music 4?

VG

xaropinho

I think I just listened to someone’s stream of consciousness for 41 minutes. No.

listened to again lo fi grunge

lots of short songs.

dogshit

tämä olisi parempi jos bändi olisi Briteistä, kolinasta huolimatta puuttuu rosoa, joka tekisi näistä sinänsä kiinnostavalta vaikuttavista biiseistä oikeasti kiinnostavia. eka biisi antaa toisen tähden

Jenkkibändi yhdistää spontaaniutta ja 90-lukulaista mauttomuutta luodakseen oman Pink Flaginsa. Opetus: biisien pilkkominen lyhyiksi näytekappaleiksi ei maagisesti synnytä koukkuja.

why so whiny

Best lo-fi album?

Pretty great stuff. Reminds me of a lot of demo tracks from other bands. I hear some early Weezer in here. I hear some early Mountain Goats. Short, sweet tracks and a short, sweet album. I like it!

7/10. A couple pretty good songs, lot more pretty mediocre ones, but even a mediocre song can be interesting for a minute.

Weird but fine. 6/10

Very distinctive guitar

This bit of the Pitchfork review is all ya need to know: "Pollard’s method was to write five duds in order to get one perfect tune, and then release all six songs. In the end, making art was like breathing for Pollard—you can’t inhale oxygen without exhaling carbon dioxide." 3.5/5 to a best of tho?

Interesting stuff

I know he’s meant to a prolific song writing machine but this sounded all over the shop.

Sounds like they had fun making this album, certainly more fun than I had listening to it.

The good thing about the songs being so short is you don't have to put up with them for too long. The bad thing about the songs being so short is that they can cram even more of the bastards on there. I'm giving it a generous 2 because halfway through, like an island in the middle of a sea of dirge, I enjoyed Motor Away.

Let's call it what it is: Just a crappy garage band with way too many songs on their album (really? nearly 30 songs?) 4/10.

This is what they mean by lo-fi. Produced on a tenner. By a couple of blokes having a laugh. Why is this here?

A really interesting album. It has 28 songs but only is 44 minutes. The variety of alternative styles is shown through the songs but it doesn’t feel very cohesive. This album seems like the band just made as many songs as possible and didn’t think about trying to expand or curate them. Some of the songs were somewhat enjoyable. None were that bad but it’s just an odd collection of okay music. 5.0/10

Sounds like someone recorded a band jamming for 40 min and then released it. Sometimes there are songs others are just random ideas. Nothing really resonated with me and the recording/mix quality was not the best.

Dope 4

Like weezer with a little psychrock. Liked it

quite good

Cleaners From Venus meets the Replacements. What’s not to like?

Rating: 6/10

Enjoyable alt rock album

Really weird format with each song being so short

I like the vibe but couldn't really get into the album as a whole. Kinda feels all over the place.

By now I stopped trying to decipher the logic behind the criteria for including albums in this list; there's just too much noise, from the mediocre through to the nothing special, making it impossible to pick up the signal. Which is my way of saying that this is yet another WTF pick for this list, as in - I fail to see what raises this album above the rest. If anything, I can see the opposite.

Il y a des albums qui laissent indifférent. Celui-ci en est un. Toutefois je pense à mon futur moi qui tombera peut-être un jour je ne sais où sur un fan de ce groupe et m'écris donc ici une note pour calmer ses ardeurs : Guided By Voices = du mauvais Beatles enregistré trente ans trop tard.

Je tiens à rajouter à ma critique précédente que ma mauvaise note a pu être impactée par une erreur d'interprétation. Je dois le confesser, en lisant le nom de My Bloody Valentine s'afficher sur le générateur, je m'attendais à retrouver le groupe de hard rock Bullet for my Valentine, qui n'a rien à voir avec l'affligeant spectacle de shoegaze offert par ces mauvais Valentines.

This was very odd, really enjoyed the idea of flicking between radio stations but just not sure this pulled it off

It's like a tasting platter.. some were very tasty and I'll be back for more. Faves: A Salty Salute, As We Go Up, We Go Down

Huh, I was a bit nonplussed by this at first but had a vague sense it'd grow on me if I gave it a chance. Sure enough, third listen, properly starting to appreciate it. Feels a bit like the album equivalent of a Rick & Morty inter-dimensional cable episode... Even the snoring track makes sense in that context! Fave track - "As We Go Up, We Go Down". Poppy niceness.

What is this? it seems like they set out to make the most generic rock album possible.

Simple. Elegant. Uninspired? Once or twice is enough probably.

Seems like a bunch of experimental, partially fleshed out half ideas assembled in a very strange collection. There's only a few that seem like actual songs, but nothing that is really too compelling. Interesting.

Not memorable.

I don't think I'd ever listen to a single track of this on its own, none of them particularly stand out. But, together, it kinda works? 28 songs in 41 minutes is completely mad, but it's good fun, the fact you change tracks every 90 seconds or so means it has this manic energy to it which I like. But don't think I can give anything more than a 3 to an album where I don't really like any of the tracks individually! 

His voice is nothing special. I don’t seem to like this album very much. Pass

Messy, but catchy as hell. I'm more a Do the Collapse era fan, but this was a fun look at how they got there.

Don't like this song? Don't worry a new one will be here in about a minute and a half...seriously, 28 songs, 41 minutes long...Brevity is the soul of Guided Voices it seems.

actually quite good the snoring bothered me

Eitt gott við þessa plötu: lögin, þó þau séu fjöldamörg, eru flest mjöööög stutt! Einstaka inn á milli með grípandi laglínu, en almennt er þetta mjög einsleitt og ekki nógu skemmtilega útfært.

Amongst the strain of trying oh-so-hard to give off the impression of just hooking up a mic and recording anything that happens, there's a great power-pop album hiding in here somewhere. There are some gems to be found among the 28 (!) songs. Minus the necessary polish, this gets old in a hurry.

I think the best thing about this album is how generous it is. Tons of material, little running more than a minute thirty. If you don't like one, it's gone and the next one is there. And there is much more to like than dislike.

I found the vocals so irritating that I only listened to half the album.

A lot of great ideas, like the longer moments more though. Strong 3

Loads of instantly forgettable 2 minute offerings. Not worth your time really. I’ve heard worse music so gains an extra star for that reason only.

Some good bits. Some average bits. I do mean bits, because they aren't songs.

If the Beatles and Oasis made a band with less talent

An American band tryna sound like Brit pop

No thanks

Lo-fi yet full

This is decent background music. Nothing spectacular and nothing terrible. Nice and steady.

Muito bom.

A 28 song, 41 minute album?!? I know nothing about Guiding By Voices other than they play 4 hour concerts and a lot of "music people" I follow seem to love them. I can hear the stuff that is influential on the indie scene. Don't loathe it, but I certainly was kinda hoping it would be done soon.

I did not connect with this music at all. Blah.

Never heard it before. Kinda wierd. Don't totally get it.

Sounded like an album full of half baked song ideas. Not for me.

I was really enjoying this album but the songs were too short, only criticism is I wanted more!

What a cool album, I really liked it and I enjoyed it almost all the way through

Found the song length a bit iritating. Heavy guitar and sad vocals didn't mix for me. Was alright but not for me. Not very polished. King and Caroline is god awful. Ex super model is some snoring?

Ehh, not for me.

The band after my heart and attention span

It's cool how they got to try out lots of different styles, but I didn't really think any of them clicked.

This was fine. I liked how all the songs were short, but it really did not give me a lot to love about this album.

Pretty enjoyable stuff, but worthy of a place on this list? Hmmm

Love the Lo-Fi aesthetic

Here's one of those bands whose name I've heard throughout the years and I couldn't name a song of theirs to save my life. Indie low-fi, with a distinct 60's pop/folk vibe to many of their songs. It's not bad, it's just not very compelling to me.

Jangly and sometimes jarring. Feels very low budget but has some quirk good tunes.

Bajo moj pjesme su prekratke. Uživiš se u neku i puf, nema više. Cover je odbojan i jako me naljutio. Ali unatoč svemu ljubav pobjeđuje i ja ću se vraćati na ovaj album!

** Lo-fi se pojavio tijekom pojave američke underground scene 1980-ih kao sirovi, bučni stil Indie Rocka. Njegovo ime potječe od upotrebe opreme za proizvodnju i snimanje low-fidelitya, što mu daje nečist i izrazito trošan zvuk. ** "The Club is Open." ovaj album, općenito lo-fi/slacker rock kako su počeli nazivat ovaj žanr mi je prirasto srcu, zavolio sam ga pravo te mi je "lofilia" plejlista za ovakve stvari poput ovog albuma i "Bee Thousand". Mnogo klasika još mogu izvući iz rukava ovoga kalibra low-fidelity-a, ali nadam se da će biti na 1001...Album koji možeš slušati na vrućini, onako, sirovo, nedovršeno, prljavo?, bučno, odvojeno od svega. Nije za svakoga, to znam, ali eto drago mi je da je meni nešto ni blizu savršenog - jako blizu savršenoga. Jednostavno, ali djeluje. Ovako, album ima stvarno dosta pjesama, slažem se, kratke su, u tom je čar, baš zato i treba imat puno dobrih pjesama, a u ovom slučaju nabrajam klasike (IMO) lo-fi glazbe -> Game of Pricks, My Valuable Hunting Knife, A Salty Salute, As We Go Up, We Go Down, Watch Me Jumpstart, Blimps Go 90 (ovo je <3) i Always Crush Me. Album nije čista desetka, više je 9/10, nekad jednostavno još nešto malo fali ili ima nečeg viška, ali ako se pusti u jednom cugu sve, ima tu svoju toplinu koju volim. Još nešta da kažem, uskoro dolazi vrijeme za moju "lofiliju" i radujem se tome. :)

A kad si ujutro misliš “neda mi se slušat dns nek bude nešt šta znam i onda ti generira album koji znaš i onak “DA TO ĆU SLUŠAT” znaš da je dobar

Znowu indyjska hameryczka, tym razem w wydaniu moco lofikowym, bo wlasnie takim krazkiem sa alien lanes od guided by voices, bandy za ktora stoi pan Robert Pollard, ktory jest glownym wokalista i lirykiem grupy w sklad ktorej podczas nagran tej plyty wchodzilo jeszcze szesc osob, ale traki sa grane raczej standardowym setupem gitara, elektryk lub akustyk, bas i drumy, tylko ze postacie sie zmieniaja, a maja sie na czym zmieniac, bo album ma 41 minut, ale zmiescili tam az 28 utworow, co nie daje zbyt duzego czasu na pojedyncze piosenki, co tworzy sytuacje traczek bedzie hitem lub misem i tak 28 razy, wiec mozna znalezc kawalki ktore slucha sie dobrze, bo lirycznie sa lekkie a instrumentalnie jamuja, ale jednak jest to szukanie, przed odsluchem mialem juz na plejliscie jeden utwor z tej plyty, pewnie w polecanym radiu indyjskim cos zaslyszalalem, a po przesluchaniu calosci dodam jeszcze dwa inne motor away i as we go up, we go down, ktore najlepiej sie bronia z calosci nagrania, ktore na generatorze wypada jako jako najbardziej budzetowe jak do tej pory, bo pewnie przesada jest nagrali plyte za 10 dolarow a sprzedali za 100k, ale jak na rok 95 nadal brzmi to w wiekszosci przypadkow przyzwoicie, chociaz dziwne uczucie sluchac takiego lofika na przyzwoitych sluchawkach, bo czujesz jakby czegos brakowalo, a jednak ten brak stanowi integralna czesc brzmienia, bo jesli nie mozesz zagrac czegos dobrze, to przeciez wystarczy, ze nie nagrasz wystarczajaco dobrze zeby ktokolwiek zauwazyl roznice, wiec z mieszanymi odczuciami i kilkoma wylowionymi utworami moge odchaczyc pozycje na liscie

Aburrido y monótono. Como si fueran las canciones más ruidosas de los Beatles mal hechas y mal grabadas. No me ha gustado casi nada, aunque se puede escuchar.

Quelques moments sympas mais franchement 28 titres c'est tricher.

Si il font un titre de plus de 3 minutes ils meurent je pense. Bref, rien de mémorable, même si j'ai pas non plus passé un mauvais moment.

je ne sais pas ce qui vient de se passer je crois qu’un mec s’endort à un moment puis il joue faux du violon et il chante avec le doigt dans sa bouche un truc comme ça

So odd

Meh

pretty good album - 8/10 it’s nice the songs don’t last very long because some of them are a little annoying favorite song is probably The Ugly Vision, it had a nice lofi/grungey vibe, like Neutral Milk Hotel meets Nirvana, I liked it

Thought it was going to be awful because of the names of the band and album but turned out really liking it

Disarm the settlers The new drunk drivers Have hoisted the flag We are with you in your anger - A salty salute

The short tracks (like under two minutes long) don't work well. But there are definitely some good songs there, e.g., "Striped White Jets" or "Blimps Go 90". I think this could be a good alternative rock album if they chose fewer songs and made them into regular-length tracks.

Always interesting, if kind of half baked a lot of the time. That's lo-fi for you, I guess.

A bloated album of punchy songs, and I love the edge here, even if it misses (looking at you Hit)

I can see myself listening to this again.

very weird

3.5

Nice songs but a bit too much garage, too many short songs

Really good garage rock album. A lot of short, fun tracks.

This album is 41 minutes long and has 28 tracks. It's like an amuse-bouche concept album, which could be cool if the band making it were competent or interesting in any way. In the hands of a shitty mid-90s indie pop rock band that loves to drop homophobic slurs whenever they get a chance, it's annoying at best. Best track: Alright

booooriiiiing

A few good songs. For some reason I always think of GBV as more of a quantity band than a quality band

It was ok. Never heard of this band before. Average 90s indie rock

Very weird

Indie. Ni fu ni fa.

Short but not too shabby.

Korte nummers, niet altijd goed afgewerkt

Ruidos agradables.

Not herd before. Not too shabby

Awful. No further words.

Very good album. Some insanely great melodies on here. 7-8/10

I normally try to listen to the whole album, after 131 albums, I finally hit an album that I really struggled with. The short song transitions is hectic and disorienting. TMBG did a similar thing in their early years, but with a more eclectic songwriting style that I favor. 2/5.

This was really enjoyable. Definitely one to listen to as a whole though

Didn't know this guy before, but the sound is very familiar. Grew up with a lot of bands in this wheel house, some of my favourites, so I can see this album deserves the recognition.

Rubbish.

Lo-fi, short pieces, but not very interesting. Not awful, just dull.

I am all on board with bands who cannot actually play music or compose songs but these guys take it to another, frustrating level. And yet… I still found myself in admiration of some of the tracks and think that perhaps in time this could grow on me. There’s something compelling nevertheless. A three - for now.

Not crazy about this. Overall nothing really stands out to me

Hi: As We Go Up We Go Down, Good Flying Bird, Little Whirl, Alright Lo: They're Not Witches, Ex-Supermodel Alien Lanes starts off weak, but builds as it goes on...Severely lo-fi, but in some cases (intentionally?) badly recorded...Random analog clicks, pops, connection noises, possible snoring(?), just unwelcome noise in general seemed to invade...I can appreciate lo-fi aesthetic, but there needs to be *some* polish, and I feel like Alien Lanes was recorded without much effort into cleaning up rough recordings. Maybe I've been spoiled by other lo-fi acts such as The Strokes, Pavement, and Sebadoh. On the plus side, there are lots of short, punchy tracks that never feel drawn out, but some are blips as short as 18 seconds. The tracks blend into each other, so there isn't much time to stop and consider what you just heard. Still, it's worthwhile of sifting through some dregs to get to the gems showcased here, there are a few that I'll take with me, but it's tough to recommend this mixed bag.

I get that this is an album celebrated by many people, I just couldn't buy into it. Lo-fi is not an aesthetic choice I usually find pleasant, and this record is not an exception. It sounds dirty and obnoxious. On top of that, having extremely short songs that change up your sound every 30 seconds to 2 minutes is too spontaneous for my taste. It makes the album come off as unfocused and rushed. There may have been a point to the way this album was produced and put together, but it just completely missed me. I don't even have a favorite song, none of them stuck with me

I liked the idea of the shorter songs, but it got old real fast

Fav songs: - Closer You Are

This album should be called ‘Ideas recorded on a cassette player’ because that’s what it sounds like. Saved by some good Beatles-esq melodies!

This sounded like a bunch of unfinished demo tapes or jam sessions. Listenable, and the lo-fi aesthetic is endearing at times, but if feels like a meal consisting solely of appetizers.

these albums with short songs/fragments instead of full blown songs is interesting but ultimately it feels like its missing its potential as every song is just a part of what it could have been.

Mediocre 90s indie music thats hard to listen to, avoid.

Didn't get there

The length of the songs was off putting. It felt like as soon as I started to really enjoy a song, it ended. I just wish a lot of the songs were longer. Anyway there are a lot of songs on this album that caught my attention. Solid album 4/5

Not something I really liked

What I imagine Rubber Soul era Beatles to have sounded like if they had formed a lowfi garage band in the mid 90s

no

The album is a series of very short songs, the tunes all are similar early 90s rock, sounds like Brit-rock or even hints of Sloan in a way. The songs all being very short seem to have a chorus or hook they're written around, and then move onto the next one, similar to the Minutemen. Good tunes, album keeps things moving and it was all fairly consistent/enjoyable. The downside is no song really stands out, they're over so quick. It all just blends into a generic 90s rock session as a result.

I don't have a response to this. Its just there. Songs are short and I think because of that it blends together. I am in no way better or worse for listening to this.

3.8 - Sounds like flipping through AM radio in a dream. A really enjoyable listen that I’ll probably need to return to fully appreciate.

This was fun.

me gustó mucho, breve, punk

19th August 2021 Listened while mowing the lawn before going to watch suicide squad with woody. Like ADHD in an album but I like the 90s slacker vibes

I get that this is an album celebrated by many people, I just couldn't buy into it. Lo-fi is not an aesthetic choice I usually find pleasant, and this record is not an exception. It sounds dirty and obnoxious. On top of that, having extremely short songs that change up your sound every 30 seconds to 2 minutes is too spontaneous for my taste. It makes the album come off as unfocused and rushed. There may have been a point to the way this album was produced and put together, but it just completely missed me. I don't even have a favorite song, none of them stuck with me.

Odd good track, but most are too short to get in to. Extreme lo-fi production is off putting

I quite like some of this but it just seems a bit random and pulled together. Like its a really badly compiled mix tape. Theres some decent indie music here though so it still gets a 3/5

Petites píldores melòdiques moltes de les quals prometen molt, però no s'hi acaben desenvolupant. Un notable exercici de lo-fi, però lluny de l'excel.lència

28 nummers op 41 minuten tijd... soms voelt het aan alsof sommige nummers niet af zijn. Er heerst ook weinig samenhang in het album, het is wat chaotisch. Weinig van kunnen genieten

Lofi mid 90s indie. Think I'd been all over this if I'd heard it back in the day

I love the album prior to this one, Bee Thousand, and have owned and listened to this album several times in the past. Gave it another spin, but no. This is rubbish. The song Game of Pricks is outstanding but the rest of the album is awful. Half-baked song ideas with monotone vocal delivery. Very strange to want to something so incomplete with a listening audience.

I love the idea of an album full of short vignettes like this. Messy-pretty vibe. Some clever bits here and there musically, with echoes of Big Star. You have to stick with it, because it takes about half a dozen songs or so to get into it. Favorite songs: Motor Away, My Valuable Hunting Knife, Closer You Are

🤮 0 stars

Definitely some indie-pop gems on this album. I will definitely return to it to see if there are some that slipped by on first listen. For now 3.25 but could go higher on subsequent listens

A lot of potentially good songs here, but the aesthetic of just fucking up the recording a bit for the sake of lofi doesn't really do it for me

Great. Full of introspection.

Lots of short songs. Very 90's early grunge sound. Nothing stood out as great. One or two songs I liked but average other than that.

Weird one. Not my thing

Feels like a demo tape. Not quite for me, but it at least was interesting.

Few tracks have a very Beatles sound. Short and sharp tracks and considering the amount, surprisingly small amount of shit ones. Liked it a lot.

Most of the songs were pretty boring, and when I found a song I liked it ended so quickly because all the songs are like 1 minute long.

Solid example of indie/alternative/college rock from mid 90's. My issue is that the songs are too short to be memorable. I like the ideas, but I wish there 1/3 of the number of songs with each being 2 - 3 times longer.

maybe worth another listen, early days of lofi indie

Meh, it provided nothing memorable or particularly enjoyable. it serves as good background music perhaps. But for active listening I was left wanting more.

...a bit weird. It isn't punk, but it might not be not punk.

Decent '90s indie rock.

wtf is this

Als Indie noch Indie war... Schöner reduzierter Indie Rock, mit leider manchmal etwas sehr kurzen Stücken.

28 songs?..... Too many songs and the songs are too short Favorites: Salty Salute (a bop) Watch Me Jumpstart As We Go Up, We Go Down The Ugly Vision Motor Away

Cashing in the first of the three cop out cards I've dealt myself because I listened to my first GBV album at Christmas and it was dreadful. And because their fan base seems to be comprised only of people I don't like.

Bemerkenswertes Album, aber an meinen Hörgewohnheiten vorbei

Eigentlich wirklich gut. Die idee scheint aber zu sein dass man viele Lieder hat, von denen ein paar verzichtbar und ein paar lieber länger wären

Sounds like a jam session where an indie band run through snippets of their repertoire but it's actually their full album. Some of the lo-fi indie tracks are appealing (learnt that term from pete's review yesterday) and I enjoyed the album on the whole. I think the format of the album is interesting and is saying something about mass consumerism and the ever depreciating attention span. If they thought that was bad in 1995 then they should get a load of... Sorry, what was I talking about?

Some nice lo-fi indie moments but it's more of a collection of unrelated ideas.

A bunch of ideas that were never developed beyond that which is a shame as there are a few things in here that could've been somewhat decent. Best track: Motor Away

Short songs that don't seem complete. Hard to get into, I feel like I would like them if they wrote complete songs.

Not good 90s alt

Sounds like a weird demo tape. 17 second songs, many of them sounding unfinished.

This is very swag album the length of some songs bothers me but most of the time it doesn’t matter that they’re short because it means there’s a lot of changes in the album and it keeps it very interesting. There is definitely some filler on here but I mean I did expect that from a 28 song album. I enjoyed this and will probably return to this. 7,3/10

First few minutes ain't doing much for me. Probably only 2/5 unless it gets better. They're like "Beatles Lite" meh. sort of amazing that they're a 90's act; they barely sound it. Doesn't do much for me.

rubbish

I liked the sound of the album when it started. The first song was good but as soon as I said "I like this" the song ended?? Ditto the second song. These brothers clearly like to avoid certain formulas in music. This is usually positive for me but, as much as I hate to admit it, I guess I like some formulas in music: For example, I like the norm of not abruptly ending a good tune before the 1 minute mark. Call me crazy! I was shocked when I took a look at Spotify and, after what seemed like less than 10 minutes, we were on Song 13 (Closer You Are). I quite liked that song too but it also left the room before we had a chance to properly introduce ourselves. My loss again. It begs the question: Who wins? After listening to Queen recently, it's interesting to compare Queen's over-dub-athon to this Guided by Voices' album that sounds like a high school project in a poorly lit basement. I don't mind their choice not to go over the top with production. It would have been nice if they devoted a bit more time to work on the songs and perhaps even finish writing a few of them. The lack of production time also results in all the songs sounding the same. I know all bands "sound the same" in one way or the other, but the production function can bring out some nuances that reduce the number of times you say "Oh Lord, don't tell me I have to listen to another song with that same sound". By the end of the album I was saying this a lot. At least when I had to say this, I could be happy knowing the next song might not be over 30 seconds long. Yes there were three songs that were 30 sec or less. 

Listened to a little

28 songs in 41 minutes. Most of them very catchy and with high energy. Was surprised at how much i liked this one.

Considering their obvious influence, I thought I would enjoy this more than I did. Shame really.

Interesting, diverse collection of indie, lo-fi songs. Would be rated higher but there's quite a lot of random crappier songs mixed in with the gems.

I listened to it twice and it started growing on me. Some decent power pop a la REM or Big Star, but I would have like fewer but more developed songs. Some were pretty good, some could have been left off the album.

28 chansons, 41 minutes. Mince alors! On dirait que quand je trouve une toune bonne, elle finit après 43 secondes. Sinon, la sonorité est bonne mais trop de niaisage.

Couldn’t get into this at all

Hard to get into this one. Felt it was too sporadic and I couldn’t really get into the rhythm of it as an album. Some decent stuff on there, but just felt a bit too much of mishmash of sounds and ideas without ever settling on one.

Quite a disjointed album and quite a challenging listening experience as a result. Having said that I liked the music and the lofi vibe even if it ultimately reminded me of other bands I'd rather listen to. 6.5/10

not to bad.. good listen

Interesting

I like the concept of a load of short tracks but found it a bit crazy in reality. 4/10

Odd album, it grabbed my attention a few times. But not enough to go back. Agree with the comments we song lengths. Relentlessly short!

Really enjoyed this. Would have liked to hear full songs!

Enjoyed this and completely new to me

Not for me!

It's surprising what a difference it makes when a musician knows someone will actually be hearing his work. After 1994's charmingly sloppy Bee Thousand gained Guided By Voices a nationwide cult following (instead of the local cult following they were accustomed to), 1995's Alien Lanes found Robert Pollard and his partners in hard pop cleaning up their act a bit. For the most part, Alien Lanes isn't radically different from Bee Thousand -- it was primarily recorded on a four-track cassette machine (and sounds like it), and Guided By Voices was still a garage band with more in the way of inspiration than chops. But the musicians have put a bit more care and focus into their performance on this set; the playing is tighter and sharper, and the band plays toward their strengths, pushing their occasional sloppiness into a harder, more rock-oriented direction.

More miss than hit!

shite. 28 songs could combine to make about 3 half decent tunes - if you're lucky.

Could do with lengthening songs and fewer of them

I didn't have time to give this more than a hurried listen. So assuming I'd like it more the second time around, I'll give it that mark. Short songs.

28 Songs? Ja, da wollte man unbedingt jede Skizze in die Bewerbungsmappe knallen, hat man doch so einige sympathisch schräge Kritzeleien zu bieten. Das ist manchmal so herrlich leidenschaftlich wie schrecklich dilettantisch sodass ich schwanke zwischen „OMG!!!“ und „herrje“ Mit zittriger Hand 2.5

Wipers finde ich besser. TLC auch.

On dirait les Beatles qui ont baisé avec les beachboys! Musique tres entraînantes mais ça sonne comme un album très bien réussi pour un garage band et non un chef d’œuvre musical! Je l’évite: Chicken blows, pourquoi chanter avec les doigts dans gueules! Ex-supermodel, les ronflements , Criss de connerie qui diminue la crédibilité et mon appréciation Je lévite l’album est bon dans l’ensemble pas trouver de hits

Many, many, short snippets of lo-fi songs sounds like an interesting idea for an album so I tried really hard to like this, but as soon as I got into a groove with anything it abruptly ended. Many with no fadeouts, just a slammed door. This was a frustrating listen for me.

je donne une étoile parce que les pieces ne durent qu'une minute bravo...

noiccceeeeeeeeeeeeee

Songs are too short, but cool album

J'avais vraiment l'impression d'écouter un demo. Je me suis demandé si j'étais pas sur un album payant qui m'offrait juste le début des tounes. Mais non, c'est comme ça. Merci à Guided By voices de nous rappeler que la qualité est plus important que la quantité.

Impressive, good concept of many short straight to the point songs

no muy bueno

Like the lofi sound. Sounded nostalgic, even though I've never heard of it. Nothing remarkable about the album though.

No conocía a la banda. De primera vista, lista interminable de canciones cortísimas estaba seguro iba a ser punk hardcore o algo similar. Sorpresivamente empezó a sonar rock alternativo... y con una grabación que parecía un bootleg. Se siente improvisado en todos aspectos, parece que esta uno escuchando un ensayo o una sesión de lluvia de ideas de una banda y ese justamente es gran parte siento del encanto que tiene el disco... afortunadamente pasa más allá de ser solo una curiosidad. Detrás del sonido de baja calidad y las canciones de 30 segundos empiezan a salir melodías y más melodías... de hecho melodías muy buenas en algunas ocasiones. En la segunda vuelta todo fue mejorando, se empiezan a apreciar más la forma de las canciones e incluso con solo haberlas escuchado una vez y durando tan poco empieza uno a tararear esas melodías; creo que esto habla muy bien del grupo. Leyendo la historia es muy interesante, al parecer eran una banda local muy prometedora, medio protegidos de Sonic Youth y la disquera les dio presupuesto de sobra pero decidieron grabar solamente con lo que tenían ya en casa y, supuestamente, todo el disco les costó "10 USD." Todo el disco se siente muy honesto y es agradable, a ratos se siente desaprovechado el pensar que pudieran haber sido mucho más grandes pero por lo que leo siempre se sintieron satisfechos siguiendo como una verdadera banda pequeña y hasta la fecha sigue activa la banda (se me ocurrió ver una presentación en vivo y ya después hicieron canciones en forma bien hechas). Disco muy interesante, muy melódico, muy agradable, es bastante más que solo la curiosidad de la banda que graba en verdadero lo-fi, pero tampoco creo que vaya a dejar atónito a nadie.

Cool vibes, but nothing memorable.

Formato muy extraño. Durante este ejercicio he descubierto que el exceso de "cancioncitas" me desagrada entonces el punto de partida al ver el setlist de este disco no fue bueno y tampoco sorpresivo. La música no es mala pero en la mayoría se siente que lo que se va construyendo termina de manera abrupta y no llega a nada. Fui apenas la reproducción 1415 de Hit, de tan sólo 0:22 de duración. Songs: My Valuable Hunting Knife, Motor Away

grateful it was so short. I'm grateful for the nineties but not this voice, sadly

Alot of songs on one album. Very different from song to song. But I didn't really care for much of it.

Bem ok, nada de mais.

n gostei do vocal

My spotify kept messing this up so I missed a few tracks (just refused to play) - but still good

Couldn't finish the album. I would describe it as amateurish and undeveloped. It is garage band grunge rock that may have inspired others, but I feel like I have heard exactly this from freshmen in high school bands. Both not my cup of tea, and not the pinnacle of achievement.

Dit was echt moeilijk om af te luisteren, echt niet mijn jam

Uninspiring. I liked how it differs from other albums by having a lot of short songs rather than the usual number of songs with the usual length. But we all lnow that quantity doesn't mean quality.

Hmmm... qué decir de este álbum... ¿wtf? O sea, literalmente es un demo tape convertido en álbum o_O Ignoremos eso un momento. Algunas canciones son interesantes, pero como no les alcanzó para contratar un productor, se quedaron en bruto, lo cuál es una lástima.

A bit strange in that most of the songs are like 1-2 minutes long. Sound is a little like REM or Whitney, depending on the song. Some songs are musically interesting, but mostly not what I want to listen to casually .

como pioneros del LoFi pues chido pero un álbum lleno de demos? Por lo menos unas 10 rolas podrían haber llegado a ser algo muy bueno si las hubieran terminado.

2.5 | Empecé el disco con muy altas expectativas, porque la primera rola tiene muy buen inicio aunque acaba demasiado rápido. Luego vienen los cortes abruptos y los saltos casi al azar entre sonidos, la voz desafinada a propósito, etc. y me cuesta más y más trabajo. Pienso dos cosas, por un lado tienen reconocimiento por ser pioneros en temas como las grabaciones autónomas y el LoFi; pero por otro lado siento que tienen muchos pedacitos con potencial de ser buenas canciones y que nunca terminan de cuajar en la cápsula digerible que conozco y espero, y eso me frustra.

I did not like this album

God I love this record. Little snippets of pop rock, lo-fi goodness. Robert Pollard and company create little worlds for you to live in sonically and then are immediately transported from one song to the next at a blistering pace. There are some moments on this record that remind me of The Beach Boys, the Beatles and Big Star but only if they had a 4 track recorder set up in their high school bedroom. It’s a phenomenal listen and only rivaled by Bee Thousand in their discography. Favorite song(s): Game of Pricks and Motor Away (I had to include two) Least favorite song: Hit

Fav Song: Game of Pricks

old school rock punk type vibes 3.5/5

Started of well but then just... No. Quantity of tracks over quality.

2.5. nice to see mitch mitchell getting work

interesting

meh

A songwriting expo if there ever was one. I love this lofi 90s rock sound and this album gives me a lot of it. Works better as a whole album listen versus just hearing individual tracks, given the short length of the songs. "Motor Away" fills me with an odd bliss every time I hear it.

Definitely going to have to revisit!

Bit of a Doors sound with some punk mixed in and psychedelic undertones

Not something i would normally listen to but it was cool. The songs were way too short

I don't really know how I feel about this album. In some ways I really like it, but my overall impression is just...meh. Things I like about it: Very British Invasion meets early punk vibes. Honestly there are a lot of songs on this album that caught my attention (with 28 songs I expected at least a few would grab me). They're Not Witches, Game of Pricks, The Ugly Vision, Closer You Are, Striped White Jets, and Alright are ones that really stood out in my mind. The cover art is super cool. Things I don't like: I cannot stand the mix. I get what they were going for with the dirty, fuzzy sound but I fucking HATE it. The guitar tones on this album are fantastic but I feel like that gets so muddy and hidden in the mix. This would easily be a 3 or 4 star album for me if it were a little "cleaner" sounding. The length of the songs is a little off putting at times. It felt liek as soon as I started to really vibe with a song, it ended. I don't think every song needs to be 4+ minutes long, but I found myself wishing that many of the songs were at least slightly longer. 2 out of 5 stars. I found it hard to look past the mix quality which really made it difficult for me to enjoy a lot of the album. I read the entry for this album in the book and frankly I don't really understand why it belongs on the list? It's not bad but doesn't strike me as particularly outstanding either.

Fairly generic poppy 90s lo-fi sound, lots of short tracks that feel like half-or even quarter-ideas, feels jumbled not a huge fan. Is this looked upon with higher praise because of newer focus on lo-fi esthetic?

Had some weird Syd Barrett vibes to some of the tracks!

Hell yeah! What, last song already?!