Spin
November 2003

Guided By Voices
Hardcore UFOs Box Set
Matador Records

Guided by Voices have released so many records on so many obscure  labels that even rabid fans are confused. This career-spanning five-CD box - which includes "hits", unreleased tracks, the long-lost EP Forever Since Breakfast, plus some cool DVD extras - is like listening to the best psych/pop-metal/British invasion/indie-rock jukebox in the world while on the brink of an alcoholic blackout: The riffs are both classic and as jumbled as the lyrics. Is he actually singing "tractor rape chain"? Yes, he is. Yo, bartender...