Guided by Voices is that band that I should, by all accounts, love. I recognize why they are widely liked but I typically can’t get too deeply into them. This album, I think, for the Guided by Voices fan will continue to resonate. It reminds me a bit of social distortion, not in sound, but in how it falls within a genre entirely, but also barely. And so that’s where this review is coming from since Guided by Voices’ general motif is well known.
On Cool Planet, GBV sometimes hits gold and sometimes falls into an area of the uninspired. Nothing on this album is bad. Some songs aren’t great, but depending on what you like most in your vocal guidance (dad joke!), there is plenty here to love. The label recommends tracks 12, 10, 5 and 3. Those aren’t my favorites (except maybe 5) but they might have broad appeal due to pop structures. Fortunately, GBV is good enough at what they do and they bring a broad range of it on Cool Planet. Overall, this is what makes this a good album. That and the fact that nothing on this album is too long.
Males of Wormwood Mars is probably my favorite track.