Guided by Voices - August by Cake

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For better or worse, Guided by Voices leader Robert Pollard has always staunchly resisted the quality-over-quantity rule. In addition to the band’s proper albums, GBV has now issued five rarities box sets, each containing 100 tracks or more. So even fans will likely shrug knowing that August by Cake, GBV’s 24th studio album, is a 32-track double-album. Pollard also claims that it’s his 100th release overall (knock yourself out if you want to go combing the internet for an exact count).

A good deal of Pollard’s charm stems from his willingness to release unformed sketches of songs that barely develop past the work-in-progress stage. But Pollard’s prolific output can also be read as an obsessive quest to master the art of songwriting. And once you hear his most committed songs, it can be frustrating to return to his shoebox of cassette demos. Take the string-laced 2004 tune “Window of My World.” In under three minutes, Pollard steers the band through folk balladry, orchestral pop, and dreamy, anthemic psychedelic rock—an irresistibly catchy confection of a song that made you wonder why Pollard didn’t push himself more often. Strangely enough, though, August by Cake benefits from Pollard not trying too hard.

Since their 2010 reformation, Guided by Voices have nearly doubled the pace of their output, releasing two and even three albums in the same year. Somewhere along the way, Pollard crossed over from displaying a lack of effort into embodying effortlessness, and in terms of scope and flow, August by Cake coalesces into one of Pollard’s most complete efforts. As always, several of the new tunes consist of one idea repeated in trademark GBV fashion and then abruptly cut short. Sequenced without pauses between songs, the album surprisingly doesn’t become exhausting because, for once, Pollard doesn’t disrupt his own flow.

In fact, more than Pollard or any of his bandmates, it’s the song sequencing that steals the show here. When a bright church organ swoops in to lift the woozy “Generox Gray Ⓡ” out of its downtempo doldrums, your ears immediately perk up—for all of seven seconds, that is, until the song is over. Rather than doom the track to its fate as yet another incomplete song fragment, Pollard gives the brevity of the organ a purpose by segueing directly into the faux-electronic drumbeat of “When We All Hold Hands at the End of the World.”

By the time you get to the premature fade-out on fifth track “We Liken the Sun,” the album’s cadence is established and the entrance of the next song actually feels welcome. From there, there’s no shortage of small-but-significant attributes to pick apart and savor over repeated listens. The harmonies and guitar wash of “Goodbye Note” recall Bob Mould in Sugar, and bassist Mark Shue’s lead vocals on “Absent the Man” are a breath of fresh air. But most noteworthy is the absence of Pollard’s typical filler, shared before it had a chance to blossom.

Like any songwriter steadily plying his craft, Pollard has grown almost imperceptibly understated and even tasteful with his decisions. August by Cake is as much a sum of those choices as it is of songs. After over 30 years in pursuit of the perfect song, Pollard has finally started to recognize the album for everything it can be.

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Pollard has always opted for short, shape-shifting songs that usually fall just above the two-minute-mark. This is the pillar that the band has stood on for ages, and in a couple of spots the formula pays huge dividends. They strike early on 'Golden Note', with crunchy guitars and melodic vocals. With its timely guitar solos, it sounds like something the band would’ve cranked out for Bee Thousand, arguably their magnum opus. The slower 'We Liken The Sun' is equally captivating, where Pollard shows off his gift for songwriting. There is nothing sloppily misplaced, and the song stands out as one of the most high-spirited and catchy songs on the album. But songs like 'Packing The Dead Zone', with its decisive message about the dulling of society, lack the essential ingredients to be anything more of a slightly curious distraction.

Trudging through the weeds of half-baked ideas comes another winner with 'What Begins on New Year's Day'. Like most Guided By Voices songs, the engaging components are temporary, given that the track only lasts for a brief amount of time. It’s often the fan’s conundrum, wanting certain treasures to last longer than the tiny snippets we are given. The issue is more ostensible given an album that has more rough spots than greenery, and 'What Begins on New Year's Day' is not only one of the best songs on the album but in the band’s entire lofty catalog. The record commences almost like a funeral march, with Pollard filling the intermittent spaces with splashes of sentimental vocals. What’s frustrating about August By Cake is that while it’s far from a lazy effort, many of the songs have no staying power.

One song that doesn’t suffer from a lacklustre sonic palette or harmonising is 'Keep Me Down'. The singing is silky and matches perfectly with the high octane instrumental. 'High Five Hall of Famers' takes its cue from grunge sensibilities, reckoning a simple vocal outlet for Pollard as he glides effortlessly through the track. This is the iteration of Guided By Voices fans pay to see, and would make the double disc more enthralling if there were more similar moments.

Although there is plenty to do without here, especially nearing toward the waning moments, 'Cheap Buttons' is another track that makes the album worth a listen. Pollard and company go for a more arena rock feel, which contrasts gorgeously with his wayfaring vocals. The chorus dominates the energetic song, and an animated Pollard seems to be at full tilt. 'Sentimental Wars' is also special, with Pollard lulling softly on a lush instrumental. The band is completely in unison unlike many of the songs of the album, a mellow guitar providing the main backdrop. of the album. On 'Golden Doors', Pollard gets a little too ambitious, sacrificing the quality of the song for lyrical acrobatics buttressed by an uninspired instrumental.

It goes without saying that the rare category Pollard has now put himself in is worthy of praise. Not even Bob Dylan or Johnny Cash can boast as many releases. But as pessimistic as it might sound, Pollard hasn’t delivered an all-enticing album in a while, and with all of its hidden gems, August By Cake suffers from having too many songs that just aren’t fulfilling enough. From what we’ve witnessed, Guided By Voices will never come to an end, and they shouldn’t, but Pollard desperately needs to revisit the formula that consecrated the band as indie rock gods in the first place.