THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “La La Land is somewhat of a companion piece to Tremblers and Goggles By Rank and continues to explore a path of diversity in styles and in longer, more adventurous song structures,” says Guided By Voices founder and frontman Robert Pollard.
Indeed, La La Land doubles down on the intricate proggy pop displayed on the aforementioned 2022 outing. Riding his latest hot streak of critical acclaim, Pollard continues expanding his songwriting towards extremes of prettiness, heaviness and poeticism. As always, unforgettable hooks are everywhere. But with La La Land, it seems Pollard is playing with the extremes of his abilities as a songwriter, emboldened by the power of this lineup now on their 14th album together since 2017.
The prettiest stuff is prettier than ever (Queen of Spaces) and odder, more complex songs like Slowly on the Wheel combine minimalism, whimsy, and cinematic inclinations. There are the exquisite power-pop bangers that fans come to expect like Pockets and the Beatlesesque Ballroom Etiquette, along with tracks like Instinct Dwelling and Caution Song, which effortlessly display a cranked-up weight and complexity most bands could never muster.”
