Dirt Culture - Issue 2
By Adam Grijalva

Guided By Voices
Suitcase: Failed Experiments and Trashed Aircraft
#6 in the Fading Captain Series

When I first decided to take on the task of reviewing
this mammoth offering from my favorite band of the
past decade, I knew that unless I went through disc by
disc, song by song, that I would not be able to truly
get the point across that this is, in fact, the
greatest release of the year, and probably many years
to come. But, then again, I also knew that I didn't
have a bible-sized book to work with, so I decided to
give it a shot, in less than the hundred or so pages
that I probably actually could fill with my GbV
worship. So here it goes. Suitcase is a four-disc
collection of songs that the guru himself, that being
the man behind GbV, Robert Pollard, never really felt
were album-worthy. All hundred songs that fill this
set were pulled from the legendary Samsonite suitcase
that Pollard has been filling with cassette after
cassette of song after song over the last twenty-five
years or so. The idea of putting it all out in a box
set came about quite some time ago, but never
materialized until late last year. All I can really
say is that 80% of these so-called failed experiments
are far better than anything you've heard on the radio
for a decade or so, showcasing Pollard's unequaled
ability to write a timeless melody at the drop of a
hat. There are of course a few more thousand songs in
the real suitcase that have yet to see the light of
day, which means there will probably be a sequel or
two or three to come. And considering that Pollard has
released no less than 10 albums in the past year or so
on his own Fading Captain Series, we may not have to
wait too long. Overall, if you're a GbV fan, you will
find as many gems here as you would on anything
Pollard has ever or ever will release, and for those
of you who aren't "in the know", ask someone who is if
you can borrow their copy of Bee Thousand, listen to
it fifty times, and then you'll be able to understand.
Maybe.