Customer Reviews

Half Smiles of the Decomposed

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4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

The Last GBV Album, Half Smiles of The Decomposed, will be the most underrated and misunderstood in the catalog, perhaps eclipsed by the lukewarm Do The Collapse. While these two albums couldn't be more opposed in sound, they show the band making a choice to focus on a specific element in the sound. While Collapse embraced the cracked arena rock leanings of the group, Half Smile is about the intimate melancholy. The album is as down as the group can get. Sure they perk up alittle for "Girls of Wild Strawberries", a Glad Girls for four years later or the morning after, and "Huffman Prairie" but, it is the tiny post lo-fi moments that dominate here. It feels like two pre TVT eps fused together and informed by the knowledge of the years after. Certainly tepid compared to the two "return to Matador" albums but certainly heartfelt. The first problem is that the album lacks a certain coherence which suggest perhaps two eps would have been preferred. It is the first album in some time released by GBV which feels alittle long, even at its brief length. Secondly, the band feels submerged and lacking a true identity beyond Pollard's backing band. While this harkens back to early incarnations of the band, I miss the band who made themselves known on the last three albums. With the constant mutations that has been norm for the band I guess this should not be a surprise. That said I can't help but feel that if this had been released as Pollard project under a different name, it would not have been easier to take. Up to this point the identity of GBV and Pollard's other works had been clearly divided. Here the later has overtaken the former. You have two choices. Either accept Earthquake Glue as the last album of the last incarnation of GBV. OR take your favorite tracks from here and fuse them with The Pipe Dreams of Instant Price Whippet and imagine you live in an alternate universe. A footnote for fans but NOT the place to start. Pick a spot from about ten years ago and work from there, both backwards and forwards. An acceptable album from an incredible band is better than most CDs you can buy. Still it simply does not stand on its own like their better works.
(Besides if I wanted to hear good Bob side project stuff, I'd listen to Choreographed Man of War or the first Bob and Doug album.)

...don't groan: often, reviews summed up in the phrase above come from someone who really "wants to like" the album in question, but are reluctant to let their gut judgement prevail. However, this isn't one of those. I'd just like to sing some praises of a good album that might at first blush seem "anticlimactic" as the final GBV record.

_Half Smiles..._ is not quite as immediate and catchy as the previous one, _Earthquake Glue_. But don't think it simply pales in comparison as a result. This one's just a bit moodier and subdued; even when it's upbeat and catchy, it's still got a twinge of world-weariness.

Similarly-sequenced as _Earthquake Glue_, _Half Smiles..._ does seem a bit front-loaded, with all the catchiest numbers in the first third or so of the CD: here, they are "Everyone Thinks I'm A Raincloud," (do they, now) "Girls of Wild Strawberries," and "Gonna Never Have to Die." "Window of My World" will get into your skull with its wondering-boy-poet melody and unexpectedly pumped-up refrain. But the rest of the album satisfies, too. The moods throughout fluctuate interestingly between lightweight, pensive, elegiac, and back again, giving the album a coherent overall "feel" that adds to its allure. It all works, and it's too bad this is the last one. Then again, maybe my pocketbook needs a rest from the endless stream of GBV that keeps drawing me in! Bob doesn't seem to be disbanding the group because of any erosion over time of his idiosyncratically brilliant tunesmithing and songcrafting skills, if this CD is any indication.

If, as claimed, this truly is the last GBV record, at least they're going out on a high note. If not quite the classic some hoped for, its still in the upper-echelon of GBV records, no small achievement from a band that puts out product on a seemingly bi-monthly basis.

As on most GBV releases, there's a certain amount of filler and half-realized experiments, but Robert Pollard and company maintain a reasonably high batting average, with several tunes entering the canon of GBV classics. Rockers like "Everybody Thinks I'm a Raincloud (When I'm Not Looking)," "Girls of Wild Strawberries," and "The Closets of Henry" meet all the minimum requirements for hook-laced pop genius while "Windows of My World" and "Tour Guide at the Winston Churchill Memorial" show Pollard progressing as a songwriter, finally able to nail the killer ballads that have just eluded him over the years.

Best of all is the closing track "Huffman Prarie Flying Field." Its starts off with one last unbelievably catchy GBV melody and drives forward from there. Listening you keep waiting for the killer chorus to arrive until, like so many Pollard's best tunes, about two minutes in you realize the whole song is just one big chorus. In the last minute, the songs shifts directions into a type of coda that manages to be elegiac and celebretory all at once. In a fitting gesture, former guitarist and secondary songwriter Tobin Sprout returns on guitar for the tune, bringing the band's oddysey full circle and providing a fitting sense of closure. If GBV's career were ever made into a movie, this would be a fitting track to play over the closing credits.

All in all, if not quite "Bee Thousand" or "Alien Lanes," "Half Smiles is a memorable farewell, filled with moments of sublime beauty.

If you're a long-time GBV fan, then you know what I'm talking about; being a fan of this band is like having an addiction. They come out with a new album, you automatically buy it immediately, you're often thrown a bit on the first listen but you get really into it quickly, and then, before you wear it out, POW, there's another new one out for ya to support your insatiable habit. Now what are we gonna do? Where will we go? What will we eat? I can only hope that Robert Pollard continues with a "solo" career (although GBV has more or less become his defacto solo project over the years) or that there is some kind of reunion down the road. I read that he just wants some time off to sort things out, so hopefully this isn't the last we'll hear of this wonderfully creative alt-rock genius. Also, for long-time fans, this review is utterly worthless, as you either have it already and are just checking out what others think, or you didn't realize they had a new one out and are in the process of buying it right now. I will say that, for me, this strikes a nice middle ground between Earthquake Glue (their previous one) and Isolation Drills. If you disagree, please don't get all huffy, that's just the way my little brain perceives it. For those of you new to the (staggering) body of work that is GBV, I actually envy you because you have a brand new (for you) musical world to explore. This is probably as good a place as any to start, although I will say, of their most recent releases, Universal Truths & Cycles is probably more representative of their entire catalog. Oh well, now that there are no more voices to guide me, please excuse me while I go and aimlessly wander the streets.

Bob, well, what can we say? Has it been that long? Does it really have to end? Seems like just yesterday I bought Under the Bushes Under the Stars on a whim and was knocked out cold. I've snatched up every release I could get my hands on under the GBV/Pollard moniker since then and have not been disappointed with a one. If this were a just world "The Official Ironman Rally Song" would be our national anthem and "Goldheart Mountaintop Queen Directory" would be on the lips of school children everywhere. "Half Smiles of the Decomposed" is a worthy final offering. Hearty melodic rock manna for your faithful flock. "Half Smiles" consistently and beautifully recaptures the tossed-off brilliance of "Bee Thousand" and "Under the Bushes" making our parting all the more painful. Thanks for the ride, Bob, those voices that guide have been brilliant.

Half Smiles of the Decomposed is in a way surprising in how understated it is. The production definitely sounds more low-key than on recent GBV albums, but there's something more to it I think than that.
The first track on the album, which was a lead MP3 offering, is probably the best track (or most immediately catchy), it reminds me of something that might have been on Under the Bushes, Under the Stars. But all of the songs on here seem to have more than immediate appeal.
There are some interesting oddly structured songs, though nothing as strikingly odd as a "Her Psychology Today" or anything like that. I wouldn't exactly call this a return to anything previous in the GBV history. It rings of a lot of GBV sounds past, of course. I'd think of this as it's own work and it is a work that seems to evoke earlier GBV, though filtered through what has been learned since.
I think this, like the previous LP Earthquake Glue, is one that is more likely to grow on the listener over time than appeal immediately. In both cases there are a couple of songs that jump out from the start, but the others may take some time. That's why I can't really rush to a judgement on this one. I do think I can get why Bob Pollard said it sounded like a good final album, it does seem fitting.

After 21 years, Dayton, Ohio's Robert Pollard has called it quits on Guided by Voices (promising to go on solo). This is the last GBV album of original material.

"Half Smiles of the Decomposed" (14 tracks, 45 min.) is one of (if not THE) most accessible albums ever issued by GBV. The album kicks off with "Everybody Thinks I'm a Raincloud (When I'm not Looking)", reminding me of one of those Foo Fighters' arena-sized power crunchers. "Sleep Over Jack" is more quirky-sounding, something Beck might have sounded like 10 years ago. "Girls of Wild Strawberries" is a nice ballad (gasp!). The middle section of the album has a very British feeling to it, and that's not a bad thing at all. I could imagine "Window of My World" blending in wonderfully on the Who's Tommy. "The Closets of Henry", "Tour Guide at the Winston Churchill Memorial" and "Asia Minor" also have that early-70s sound, just excellent. After that, the album lets up a bit, but does go out with a bang on "Huffman Prairie Flying Field", one of the highlights of the album.

As a swansong, GBV could've done a lot worse. The quality of Pollard's songwriting is generally high, and the production is excellent (thankfully no low-fi songs here). Guided by Voices was to Dayton what Afghan Whigs was to Cincinnati: the premier rock band in town. They will both be missed. And Robert Pallard better make good on his promise to release solo material soon...

Up until watching GBV in concert in New York this past April, I had never been disappointed by the band. I wasn't necessarily disappointed that night, but I didn't enjoy the concert as much as I have previous ones. Maybe because a bunch of drunken fools who couldn't carry a tune and at times didn't know the words to the songs were constantly trying to wrestle the mic from Robert Pollard's hands-I didn't go to see some strange drunk who doesn't know the words to Echos Myron try to finish up the last song of the encore. I went for the reason I go to all GBV concerts--to watch one drunken individual and his band who are usually also drunk and still play better than all bands sober. I think the real reason why I didn't enjoy the concert as much that night is because it was the first time they announced the band was breaking up, and so began the anticipation for what would be the final GBV album ever-hopefully not. If it is the band's swan song, then I still truly haven't been disappointed by the band. Has Robert Pollard achieved as close to perfect an album he required before he decided to disband? Not quite. The band's previous four efforts are equal to or far greater than this one, but that doesn't diminish this one by any stretch. Like all their other albums, it still has several gems. "Everybody Thinks I'm a Raincloud(When I'm Not Looking)" and "Huffman Prairie Flying Field" are fitting bookends for the entire album. A discerning fan will enjoy it. A musical elitist who surely stopped listening to the band four albums ago when they expanded on their lo-fi beginnings, surely will not, but is there anything that can please a musical elitist? They don't even like what they like. To the discerning fan, sit back and enjoy the final offering of the greatest, most prolific band ever. I can't wait for the two shows in New York in December.

this is the first guided by voices record i've ever had to force myself to listen to in the vain attempt of having it grow on me. the first few songs are nice enough, but then it devolves into some of the most mediocre songwriting ever put forth by the god of all songwriters. i just don't get it.

thankfully, pollard has the wits left to save the best for last. huffman prairie flying field is marvlous. a very nice way to cap off the GbV canon. maybe i'm wrong here, but from a compound eye, pollard's excellent post-GbV debut, sounds much fresher and adventuresome. in the end, who cares what i think. bob has enough material out there that eventually even the most hardcore of fans (i.e.-me) will not love everything he puts out.

god bless robert pollard and anyone of the forty (or so) bandmates honored to have played under that nameplate.

Guided By Voices have to be one of the greatest American indie bands to exist. Since their inception in 1987 they have never changed their recording techniques (always on cheap tape decks), and have always come up with pure guitar pop, and record-wise have always been more or less consistent, and now 20 albums later they are splitting up. The thing is, is `Half Smiles... ` a fitting epitaph?

The answer is yes: the glimmering anthemic pop is still there in songs like `Everybody thinks I'm a Raincloud (when I'm not Looking)' and `Gonna Never have to Die' (like on their best album Bee Thousand). In other words typical GBV. but in some places, and definitely towards the end of the album the mood sometimes takes over and there is some sadness in songs like in `Closets of Henry' (despite its quasi nonsensical lyrics contribute to the mood). Closer `Huffman Prairie Flying Field' does the same thing.
Although this album isn't a big goodbye wave with tears, its more of a sniffle and one droplet as it holds is head high and is prepared to move on. Main man (and the person who is really Guided by Voices) Robert Pollard has already released a solo album earlier this year, so I'm assuming that is the direction that he is following now. I'm sure though that a GBV reunion will happen in the near future - fingers crossed.