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Album Details

• Artist: Guided By Voices
• Album: Half Smiles of the Decomposed
• Label: Matador
• Year of Release: 2004
• ME Rating:
• Reviewed by: dscanland on 2004-09-28

So, this is how you want to end it, hey Bob. After 20 years and just as many albums (I'm sure there's more unreleased material out there) Pollard and his gang of musically inclined are supposedly calling it quits. I find it hard to believe and would wager that we see a Pollard/Sprout reunion before too long. Anyway, Half Smiles of the Decomposed is a pretty decent album although definitely not their finest. They keep up the higher-fi (TM) sound that they have had since their foray to TVT records and on some songs the production is damn thick. The album starts out strong with "Everybody Thinks I'm A Raincloud", one of the true rock songs on the album. "Girls Of Wild Strawberries" seems like typical GBV fare. Songs like "Asia Minor" really stand out though. It's a bright song with a lot of high points in it. On "Sing For Your Meat" you can sense a feeling of closure. It's a gentle track for Pollard and it has a minor overtone that reminds us the end is near. It is on a few tracks that we get this slight feel of sentimentality, or is that just me feeling it. "A Second Spurt of Growth" is probably one of the most intimate songs we have heard Pollard on. The album ends on a high note too. "Huffman Prairie Flying Field" is a happy song that seemingly fades into nothingness. It is interesting to look at the evolution of GBV too. From half thought out songs in their demo state to the fully fleshed out versions this last little while. With the demise of GBV I can't help but choke back a tear. They have been a flame in the indie rock scene and they will be missed. But like I say, I am placing my money on seeing something new within five years. In the mean time, sleep well Guided by Voices, sleep well.

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