Mag Earwhig! review from a Belgian-Flemish magazine (HUMO), quite influential among the kids (sponsors two major festivals, Torhout-Werchter and Pukkelpop). The author is Jub.

Special thanks to Francis Zelck for transcribing and his witty notes!

"Born To Run" by Bruce Springsteen had eight songs; "Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere" by Neil Young seven; "Zuma" (idem) nine; "IV" by Led Zeppelin: eight. That was then. Now cd's have got to have at least fourteen songs. Yet cd's with seven good songs are as rare as back in the old days. You just get the rubbish for free.

"Mag Earwhig", twelfth (!) from Guided by Voices, has twenty-one (21!) songs. Believe me, I would approach that with a miner's helmet, two boxes of Dafalgan {a popular sedative in Belgim, fz} and a shovel to bury the thing forever if needed.

Guided by Voices is Robert Pollard, a Ohio-based music addict in his thirties, who can't keep his musicians straight for more than two minutes. But it doesn't matter. Pollard writes the songs, lots of songs; so much that his American record company boss gave him the assignment to stop writing and take a holiday. The record company thought the fans wouldn't have enough money to buy all those GBV records. Pollard's answer: "Fuck you". And, when being asked for a more specific answer: "Those who love our records, steal them."

When one listens to "Mag Earwhig!", one gets the impression of having bought a compilation. Oasis rob the Beatles, The Fun Lovin' Criminals rob Isaac Hayes according to some, Hanson rob Sesame Street,... Guided by Voices rob everyone. "I Am A Tree" sounds like Foo Fighters, "Bulldog Skin" like Weezer, "Hollow Cheek" like the Beatles on the white album, "Potable Men's Society" like Killing Joke then, title song "Mag Earwhig!" like Beck, "Little Lines" like Oasis, "Bomb in the Bee-Hive" like The Radio Birdman.{Yes, THE Radio Birdman, fz} And if you would notice something unstolen, Mr. Pollard will be prepared to rectifie it on the next cd. Robert Pollard writes songs that make you wonder "shit, whose song is this again?", and that felling, my dear friends, is a good sign. It is the quality of a classic album. I do not want to go to hard on this and proclaim Robert Pollard with all his pseudonyms 'the next big thing' - GbV will never be the next big thing by lack of hipness - but the man deserves your attention surely. So, to the record store, you all, if it were just for the fresh air.