Details April 1996
8 out of 10 stars
Guided By Voices chase the indie-rock dream of making their own Cheap Trick Live At Budokan without leaving their basement. These grizzled rock dudes from Dayton, Ohio, made their reputation with two minute home-recorded pop gems, decorated with static and tape hiss for that special underground thrill. But they're suprisingly fearless when it comes to facing an audience. Under the Bushes is their most listener friendly collection yet- not only are these eighteen songs recorded with a minimum of surface noise, but many of them roll on for up to four minutes without running out of steam. You still can't tell what Robert Pollard is rambling about in his faux-Brit chirp, but even wacko titles like "office of Hearts" and "Acorns and Orioles" come attached to lush melodies and wispy guitar hooks. In a age where dime-a-dozen rock eccentrics panic at the prospect of moving the crowd, Guided By Voices tune into the same spirit of fun that inspired the Beatles, the New york Dolls, and Roxy Music. They just hear it in their own spacey way.