by Will Sisskind (@theparisbuns)
Guided by Voices put out a total of thirteen albums in the 2010s, if you count the double album Zeppelin Over China and Warp and Woof as one each. These albums spanned two reunions, several different lineups, and a smattering of political landscapes, each with their own opinion sung in Robert Pollard’s voice and penned from his hand. Pollard’s remained the consistent force of Guided by Voices since its inception in 1983, and after having released three records in 2019 alone, he and his newest incarnation of the band show no signs of calling it quits for a third time.
Surrender Your Poppy Field, Guided by Voices’ first release in the 2020s, marks an important point in the band’s history. As their 30th studio album, one might expect the band to go big, to try on some new styles, or to rest on their laurels as unofficial royalty among the indie crowd and phone it in. Instead, Surrender Your Poppy Field shows that Guided by Voices can remain true to themselves and put out music that sounds fun, all while finding ways to build upon it and find ways to stay fresh.
Throughout the band’s history, Pollard and his rotating team of bandmates -- currently Doug Gillard, Kevin March, Bobby Bare, Jr., and Mark Shue -- have explored the world of lo-fi DIY, crisp studio sounds, and everything in between. On Surrender Your Poppy Field, the band navigate the many avenues that lead from style to style, using their newest album as a launch pad for new ideas. On “Cat Beats A Drum,” it seems like they tinker around with twelve-tone harmony in indie form; “Cul-De-Sac Kids” drifts between chill ballad and driving rock tune a la REM’s “Shiny Happy People”. The single from the album, “Volcano,” filters Pollard’s voice on top of a dirge-like beat that explodes upon reaching the chorus.
Then the usual shorter tracks make their appearance on this album as well, keeping in tradition with GBV albums of yore. “Whoa Nelly” has a warm vinyl feel to it, crackles and all, with Pollard singing over mellotron strings in a voice almost like a 1920s-era baritone. “Always Gone” has the vibe of the band having recorded the track on a whim in a basement into a high-quality cassette deck, as does “Queen Parking Lot”. Then there’s “Andre The Hawk,” a true psych-out track in which Pollard regales us with the tale of the titular character, with whom he seems to have an intimate connection.
While fans of GBV will find their own things to love about Surrender Your Poppy Field, its main positive comes from its celebration of over thirty-five years of music from the band. After thirty studio albums and countless other EPs, singles, collections, and special releases, Guided By Voices make clear that they can’t stop having fun doing what they do. Two breakups, the greed of the Eighties, the over-saturation of the Nineties, the fear of the Aughties, and the endlessness of the 2010s didn’t hold them back. The 2020s will show, therefore, just how much farther Guided By Voices can go.