Everyone Should Be Touching The Sky

Guided by Voices “Class Clown Spots a UFO”

Bob Pollard has written hundreds upon hundreds of songs, but for the most part, he sticks to pretty simple arrangements. It keeps things simple and loose, and it’s part of how he can be so absurdly productive. It’s always exciting when he steps just outside of his comfort zone and gives a song a little something extra. In the case of “Class Clown Spots a UFO,” an oldie revived for the new Guided by Voices album, it’s just a touch more harmony than would normally appear on a GBV record, and a bit more space around the melodies and rhythm. It’s still a bit raw, but the weight of the song feels very different for them. It stands out on the record, for sure — while this one has a lot of polish, most of the other songs are much flatter in terms of dynamics.

FYI, I wrote about Guided by Voices’ show in Central Park this weekend for Rolling Stone.

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