Under the Bushes Under the Stars

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
Not the ultimate album side of Bee Thousand, the album that will always be their high-water mark, Guided by Voices' Under the Bushes, Under the Stars's songs are more fully realized. Familiar bits and pieces continue to shine through, with basement Beatles and backyard Who here, and New Zealand lo-fi and acoustic Led Zepplin there. Bob Pollard and Tobon Sprout's ideas, still impeccably timeless hooks that cut through the murk to reveal the scratchy pop gem within, are examined and, maybe for the first time in the band's canon, thoroughly re-examined in the drawn-out song structures. Still, you could fit a baker's dozen of Guided by Voices tunes inside somebody else's hidden track, and have room enough left over for "Girlfriend in a Coma." Comfortably. Not all the songs stand up to the scrutiny, but the majority of GBV's tunes, as always, reveal the joy of the most minute moments that the majority of rock bands crash through while admiring the forest and missing the trees (bushes?). And no one knows the lexicon more thoroughly than GBV do. --Randy Silver --This text refers to the Audio CD edition.

Under the Bushes Under the Stars
Average customer rating:

What could have been

mid-fi masterpiece

Perhaps Their Best

GBV's melancholy masterpiece

Mid-Fi GbV. Rock! "Pass the word....the chicks are back!"

Under the Bushes Under the Stars
Guided by Voices
Manufacturer: Matador Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music
General | American Alternative | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music
Lo-Fi | Indie & Lo-Fi | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music
Indie Rock | Indie & Lo-Fi | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music
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Similar Items:

Bee Thousand

Isolation Drills

Propeller

Vampire on Titus

Do the Collapse

ASIN: B0000036UW
Release Date: 1996-03-26

Tracks:

Man Called Aerodynamics
Rhine Jive Click
Cut-Out Witch
Burning Flag Birthday Suit
The Official Ironmen Rally Song
To Remake The Young Flyer
No Sky
Bright Paper Werewolves
Lord Of Overstock
Your Name Is Wild
Ghosts Of A Different Dream
Acorns & Orioles
Look At Them
The Perfect Life
Underwater Explosions
Atom Eyes
Don't Stop Now
Office Of Hearts
Big Boring Wedding
It's Like Soul Man
Drag Days
Sheetkickers
Redmen And Their Wives
Take The Sky

Amazon.com

Not the ultimate album side of Bee Thousand, the album that will always be their high-water mark, Guided by Voices' Under the Bushes, Under the Stars's songs are more fully realized. Familiar bits and pieces continue to shine through, with basement Beatles and backyard Who here, and New Zealand lo-fi and acoustic Led Zepplin there. Bob Pollard and Tobon Sprout's ideas, still impeccably timeless hooks that cut through the murk to reveal the scratchy pop gem within, are examined and, maybe for the first time in the band's canon, thoroughly re-examined in the drawn-out song structures. Still, you could fit a baker's dozen of Guided by Voices tunes inside somebody else's hidden track, and have room enough left over for "Girlfriend in a Coma." Comfortably. Not all the songs stand up to the scrutiny, but the majority of GBV's tunes, as always, reveal the joy of the most minute moments that the majority of rock bands crash through while admiring the forest and missing the trees (bushes?). And no one knows the lexicon more thoroughly than GBV do. --Randy Silver

Customer Reviews:

What could have been.......2006-07-26

Much hype surrounding the release of UTBUTS when it came out in the mid-90's. But I have to say it's overrated. Most of the songs won't last long. Of course, there are still some great songs on here but the change to a recording studio has also meant a decline in material, though they fortunately picked that up on later albums

mid-fi masterpiece.......2006-07-23

how do you follow up the twin lo-fi greatness of bee thousand and alien lanes? you don't. to his credit, robert pollard knew this. this is the record that comfortably straddles the band's basement past and its slick future. the resulting effort is stellar. gone is the laser-like focus of the aforementioned jewels, replaced by a dark universe where there is no joy and fear seems to be the only common thread. this is the domain of the cut-out witch. her spell is cast largely on this entire songscape. the entire record revolves around that one brilliant song. and she CAN change your life.

Perhaps Their Best.......2006-06-02

Considering how much music I've listened to and reviewed by these guys, it's surprising to recognize how little I know about them. Although I've listened to (the equivalent of) perhaps a dozen albums worth of music, I still cannot say I understand Guided By Voices, and I like that. They are a band that keeps me guessing, that forces me to listen with my wits as much as my ears, and I like that, too. With lyrics that are as opaque as a kaleidoscope, there just isn't much that is tangible enough to provide a foothold.
The most obvious trait of GBV is their tendency to take a song just past the point of creativity, and then record it, unadorned. For music fans who listen creatively, this is great fun, because it forces the listener to hear the song from an angle that is obliquely opposed to most pop music. It isn't ear candy, and without the production values that are now considered `normal' or essential for the pop marketplace, we either hear the song through the gauze of `low-fi' or we ignore it entirely. I hate to admit this, but the average Joe on the street likes his music to be provided for him; let radio rotate a few prefabricated variations on familiar themes, and Joe Public is fine with it. He would hate Guided By Voices, and the reasons are simple. The primary reason is that this band avoids the polish and sheen of production values the way that cats avoid swimming pools. I might not know much about the band themselves, but their work methods seem to be fairly obvious. After a song is written, the recording commences soon afterward. Once the song is set down, it is left in that state as if it were preserved in aspic. It's a strange methodology because it relies on the infinite possibilities of initial creation, but forces the process to end at that point.
On Under the Bushes Under the Stars, Guided By Voices allow themselves a bit more leeway with production (just a bit), and the album benefits greatly from it. After all, why can't production (or post-production, for that matter) be used as a creative tool? The five tracks that kick off the album make this point abundantly clear, with an attention to detail that is nowhere near anal, but at least shows some consideration for the intelligent songs they decorate. "Rhine Jive Click", "Burning Flag Birthday Suit" and "The Official Ironman Rally Song" sound exactly like Guided By Voices, but they also sound good enough for commercial airplay. One song, "Don't Stop Now" is a re-recording of an earlier song, and true to what I had said earlier, its arrangement remains absolutely true to the low-fi version it updates, except with a production that suits it better and makes it more appealing. These guys still might not get airplay, but after this album, I can no longer say that it is simply because the band chooses it to be that way. Who knows? If radio stations started playing "Lord of Overstock", maybe Joe Public would hum along. A Tom Ryan

GBV's melancholy masterpiece.......2005-07-26

"Under the Bushes Under the Stars" is probably not the place for a new Guided by Voices fan to get started, but in my opinion, it's their best album.

Most of the songs on "Under the Bushes" take a few listens to unfold. The whole album has a languid, melancholy feel, in contrast to the hyperactive hookiness of "Bee Thousand" and "Alien Lanes." The sound is dominated by dark, murky guitars-- almost a throwback to "Vampire on Titus," but with cleaner production. There are a few brighter tracks clustered toward the end ("Underwater Explosions" indeed), but nothing here is as sunny and instantly accessible as, say, "Echoes Myron."

Over time, though, that works to the album's advantage. It demands and rewards repeated listening, individual songs gradually breaking out of the murk and lodging themselves addictively in your brain. It's also ingeniously sequenced and paced, alternating small groups of darker songs and more upbeat tracks. The cryptic, cacophonous "Man Called Aerodynamics" distinguishes itself as one of GBV's greatest album openers, and the next couple of tracks keep the momentum going strong. "Burning Flag Birthday Suit" employs the classic Pollard trick of building from solo guitar and vocals to a startling full-band climax in barely over two minutes. The next few tracks chime and chug along in a low-key, gloomy vein, until "Your Name is Wild" and "Ghosts of a Different Dream" raise the tempo and infuse a welcome jolt of energy. The haunting, acoustic "Acorns & Orioles" brings things down again for a few more tracks, until the aforementioned "Underwater Explosions" and Tobin Sprout's "Atom Eyes" finally provide a glimpse of sunlight.

Those songs set the stage for the breathtakingly gorgeous "Don't Stop Now," for my money the best song Robert Pollard has ever written. Who else could wring such beauty and pathos from a song about a rooster named Big Daddy? "Don't Stop Now" may be a tough act to follow but "Office of Hearts" is up to the task, closing the album on a dissonant, slightly unsettling note.

But wait, this is a Guided by Voices album, which means we have six more tracks that happened to be lying around and got tacked on the end. These extra songs may not exactly fit into the vibe established by the album proper, but they're worthy additions, "Big Boring Wedding" and the exuberant "Drag Days" standing out in particular.

"Under the Bushes Under the Stars" encompasses all sides of GBV, from solo fragments like "Bright Paper Werewolves" to intricate rockers like "Cut-Out Witch" to weird experiments like "Take to the Sky" to loud chug-fests like "Lord of Overstock," but wraps it all in a coherent and compelling package. Robert Pollard's lyrics throughout the album are some of the most cryptic and intriguing in his entire catalog. "Under the Bushes" is decidedly darker in tone than most Guided by Voices albums, and it may take a few listens to grow on you, but if you let it sink in you'll find GBV's richest and most rewarding album.

Mid-Fi GbV. Rock! "Pass the word....the chicks are back!".......2004-08-15

This is probably my favorite GbV album along with Bee Thousand right now. This was my first, but I didn't like it...til I got a "feel" for GbV. The songs are catchy and awesome in mid-fi. This was the the Last album with Tobin and the old GbV. Tobin wrote some awesome songs that stood out on here(does he ever not). "Atom Eyes", "Remake The Young Flyer" and my fave "It's Like Soul Man". Classic Tobin right there!

Pollard is always the man...with awesome tunes like opener "Man Called Aerodynamics", the sincere "No Sky", Led Zeppelin-esque acoustic "Bright Paper Werewolves", my other fave "Your Name is Wild", Behind Blue Eyes intro of "Acorn and Orioles", the strange "Look at Them", etc. But the best part is the unlisted songs that the band rushed on. "Big Boring Wedding" is supreme!

Average customer rating:

Under The Bushes Under The Stars
Guided By Voices
Manufacturer: Msi
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

General | American Alternative | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

Lo-Fi | Indie & Lo-Fi | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

Indie Rock | Indie & Lo-Fi | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

Alternative Rock | Imports | Stores | Music
ASIN: B000005RK6
Release Date: 1997-04-08

Tracks:

Man Called Aerodynamics
Rhine Jive Click
Cut-Out Witch
Burning Flag Birthday Suit
The Official Ironmen Rally Song
To Remake The Young Flyer
No Sky
Bright Paper Werewolves
Lord Of Overstock
Your Name Is Wild
Ghosts Of A Different Dream
Acorns & Orioles
Look At Them
The Perfect Life
Underwater Explosions
Atom Eyes
Don't Stop Now
Office Of Hearts
Big Boring Wedding
It's Like Soul Man
Drag Days
Sheetkickers
Redmen And Their Wives
Take The Sky

Album Details

Japanese Release featuring Two Exclusive Bonus Tracks. Tracklisting Unavailable at this Time.

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