'Mirrored Aztec' Review: Guided By Voices album doesn't care to impress, but its unconventional music will
The new Guided By Voices album 'Mirrored Aztec' is out now. Released on August 21, the new LP follows their February release 'Surrender Your Poppy Field'.
With a massive collection of albums, 'Mirrored Aztec' is their 31st and Guided By Voices are a musical force to be reckoned with. Furthermore, frontman Robert Pollard has 107 albums to his credit and 'Mirrored Aztec' will be his fifth effort in 18 months, following 2019’s 'Zeppelin Over China', 'Warp and Woof', 'Sweating the Plague', and 'Surrender Your Poppy Field'.
GBV announced 'Mirrored Aztec' on July 7 and shared the promotional 'Haircut Sphinx'. The group also performed a one-night-only full-electric concert from an empty venue on July 17 in Dayton Ohio, with a top-notch crew. For the concert GBV partnered with numerous US indie venues, some of whom they’ve worked with for over 25 years.
When it comes to their music, Guided By Voices has become beyond comfortable in pumping out tunes with ease. 'Mirrored Aztec' is a reflection of that confidence and love for music, and even though the LP is prominently rock, it has a low-fi way of producing its chill vibes. Similarly to your indie/alternative rock outfits such as R.E.M. or Jimmy Eat World, GBV's new record gives you more than enough moments to rock out but also lets you kick back with headphones on if you are inclined to want that. With a generous 18 tracks, the LP certainly allows you to get lost in escapist bliss.
The album's opener, 'I Think I Had It. I Think I Have It Again', rolls in strong with pulsing electric guitar riffing, tom drum charge-ups and Pollard belting out the vocals. Songs like 'To Keep an Area', 'Show of Hands', 'Easier Not Charming' would slide right in on a road-tripping playlist.
'Mirrored Aztec' also adopts subtle experimental or psychedelic elements. Several tracks get minor tempo sidesteps, switches between dry and lush recording thickness and more and it is only until you pay closer attention that you notice. 'Citizen Blitz'.
'Citizen's Blitz' applies alienesque warping effects and trippy slurs on the vocals while the guitars and drums drill into your psyche with lyrics like, "Ooh, everything that can break away. Comes alive. Once they’re blessed. They’re possessed" and "But they’re holding their demons. And personal goals. For the cautious derangement. And they sing out. Can you see in?"
'Please Don't Be Honest' uses offbeat rhythming as its playground with guitars playing inverted patterns and drums rebelling from any 4/4 grooving before breaking out into a celestial dreamscape of the chorus.
'Math Rock' showcases the band's desire to step away from conventional structures and melodies. Playing out like a carousel music box on steroids, 'Math Rock' adds heavily distorted guitar, irregular drumming, and a mallet instrument to spiral your mind out of control.For metalheads who want to crack open a beer to a solid track, 'Haircut Sphinx' is a beautiful throwback to '70s rock and roll and similarly with 'Biker's Nest'.
'Mirrored Aztec' is a clean-cut addition to BGV's collection. The new record is unrestricted by mainstream ideas or expectations and is its own boss without a care for anything more or less, which is why we recommend it.