Under The Bushes at 30

Thirty years ago - 26 March 1996 - an album was released to very little attention. Except if you were one of a small band of devoted lo-fi fans dotted around the world who knew.

Well, at the time, that fan group didn't include me, as it was another two years before I heard this, and was introduced into the world of... Guided By Voices (or GBV for short).

This is the point when my wife can stop reading this and go do something more productive - she is definitely not in the lo-fi / GBV fan group.

Is it their best record? Well for many, that honour would probably go to Bee Thousand, Alien Lanes, or maybe one of their later efforts like Isolation Drills (definitely a top 3 for me). But Under The Bushes, Under The Stars was my gateway to GBV and retains a special place in my heart.

GBV had an interesting backstory to this point; they were a part time band for much of their first decade or so, working other jobs (main man Bob Pollard was a school teacher), playing locally across their part of Ohio (Dayton) and occasionally further afield, releasing these lo-fi albums and EPs every now and then, to reasonable critical acclaim, but minimal public notice.

Under The Bushes was the last of what many would call the 'classic' line up (at least until they got back together for a bit in 2012); Robert (Bob) Pollard on vocals, Mitch Mitchell on guitar, Kevin Fennell on drums, and the wondrously named Tobin Sprout on guitar and vocals. They had gone through a rotating chorus of bass players, but at this point included music journalist and author James Greer in that role.

Songwriting was shared between (mainly) Pollard, who now has over 3,000 songs registered in his name across various GBV, solo and other side projects, and Sprout, who was once referred to as "the AC/DC of lo-fi rock", for his "dogged insistence on sticking to his original strategy... [that] production values basically don't matter." (Pitchfork)

Production malfunction

The album is apparently, according to the Washington Post, loosely themed on the battle of good and evil. It saw them, for the first time, move from a 4-track recording process to the more production oriented 24-track version. They did though, determine to retain that lo-fi essence, through their usual tricks like putting the vocals through guitar amps.

The album was recorded over multiple sessions and ultimately saw them work with five different producers. The last six tracks on the CD (as with the one I have) were not on the first version - they were released separately as the Tiger Bomb EP, but then tagged onto the album at the behest of their label, Matador.

Five tracks - Ironman Rally Song, Big Boring Wedding, Drag Days, Redmen & Their Wives, Don't Stop Now - were produced by Pixies / Breeders legend (and fellow Daytonian) Kim Deal. It's Like Soul Man and Sheetkickers were handled by production legend, the late Steve Albini.

The beginning of the end

The move to a 24-track set up, and the reliance on outside collaborators to help with production, marginalised the role of Sprout in the band. Previously, he had tended to do much of the work behind the (albeit) limited controls (see Bee Thousand and Alien Lanes for good examples of his work). He did write four songs that appeared on the record, but his presence was not as strong as it had been.

Bob Pollard

It was 1996, and both Pollard and Sprout were perhaps distracted by the solo projects they were also working on; Pollard on Not In My Airforce, and Sprout on Carnival Boy. But the feelings that Sprout might have been having were not the only issue.

Greer, who had joined the previous year, was dating Kim Deal at this point. So when the band's sessions with her fell apart, it was not ideal for him. He effectively had to pick a side in the falling out - he stuck with his girlfriend.

Mitch Mitchell

Mitchell was not a reliable band member, and Pollard was apparently itching for some sort of guitar god to match his rock ideals. He moved Mitchell over to the now vacant bass role, which was not well received, and so Mitchell also left. Fennell, who was also Pollard's ex-brother-in-law, was also causing issues. The 1995 tour had seen him drop back into substance abuse issues, which was especially painful as he had worked so hard to kick it before. Pollard obviously had strong feelings in his direction, he had been both a bandmate and former family member - but he was concerned that continuing with the rock lifestyle could actually kill Fennell. Ultimately, he too was gone before the end of the subsequent tour.

Sprout's family had grown too around this time, with a second child just arriving, so he would also leave the band before long. This meant that by the end of this record and tour cycle, Pollard had lost all four of the bandmates he had going into it.

Under The Bushes

Strange Currencies bemoaned the record's focus on the mid-tempo range songs and that they felt it didn't have enough hooks in it (especially compared to the aforementioned Bee Thousand and Alien Lanes). But, they did finally concede that it is all relative, because "just as... Abbey Road is still brilliant because it's a product of The Beatles, Under The Bushes, Under The Stars is still great because it's a product of near-peak Guided By Voices."

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Man Called Aerodynamics: and we're off to a flyer; a tumult of flailing guitars and slightly urgent sounding vocals (audio - BBC Peel Session from July 1996)

Rhine Jive Click: a metronomic guitar backs Pollard's almost matter of fact delivery, with his talk of the "country dance sellathon", whatever the heck that is.

Cut-Out Witch: a contender for all time fan fave; when the Strange Currencies review bemoaned the lack of riffs, they obviously weren't thinking of this banger. No concert is complete without the iconic opening... (live in London, 2019)

Burning Flag Birthday Suit: a hazy little number - a mini epic of sorts. Slow squally guitar with Pollard's almost shouted vocals and tinkling little keyboards in the background. Then comes the drums, then it goes off-kilter (how unusual) and fades out.

The Official Ironmen Rally Song: another standout song from the record - a bit of an anthem. One of so many tunes on this record with some cool arpeggiated guitar. Lyrically oblique as ever, Pollard apparently thought of this as his We Are The Champions moment. (official music video)

To Remake the Young Flyer: the first of the Tobin Sprout songs on the album. A stop-start acoustic driven number, with a nice loopy riff.

No Sky / Bright Paper Werewolves / Lord of Overstock: I'm going to lump these three together. The law of any Bob Pollard album is that the sheer volume of songs means there will always be a few that don't grab you quite the same. Having said that, Bright Paper Werewolves is a quite interesting and weird little acoustic number.

Your Name Is Wild: and we're back. Wild is a bright little tune, lovely drum rolls really propel it through the phases.

Ghosts of a Different Dream: another upbeat song; strident chords lead to thumping crescendos. (audio only)

Acorns & Orioles: another more acoustic tune, with a strange and unearthly echo sound in the background.

Look at Them: a staccato strum, with spoken fragments of vocals, before the crunching guitars kick in. Again, there is something eerie going on in the background - it has plenty of punch for a song that has no drums in it.

The Perfect Life: a Sprout penned 59 second ethereal instrumental.

Underwater Explosions: another absolute banger! (audio only)

Atom Eyes: Sprout singing again, on this plaintive indie pop song; another one of those in the 'could've been a hit' pile; it is a weird dichotomy - Pollard acts on stage like he is Roger Daltrey performing to 20,000 people, and yet everything about their production and attitude seemed geared up to avoid such success. (audio - BBC Peel Session from July 1996)

Don't Stop Now: slow and heavy, building to a fantastic, and almost overpowering, crescendo - a true highlight of the album - drums, guitar and bass mesh together perfectly to drive this one to its conclusion. (audio only)

Office of Hearts: another more off-kilter number, with guitar parts going off in all directions.

Big Boring Wedding: the heavy arpeggiated guitar is joined by the steady hi-hat/snare beat - then, as the song hits the halfway mark, a chorus of sorts lifts it to a new level; "Pass the word the chicks are back, yeah, the chicks are back."

It's Like Soul Man: a dense and spiky tune, underpinning Sprout's slightly whiny vocal rising out of it.

Drag Days: probably one of my top five GBV tracks of all time, the laconic guitar chords match the title, with the slow loopy riff adding to the feel. Possibly one of the closest moments they had to making a more mainstream indie track. (audio only)

Sheetkickers: the vote for probably the most undervalued song on here. The heavy bass rumbles in - "Cover your eyes, the light is too bright, your wise men they tell you lies" - then crunch and roll with the drum kick.

Redmen and Their Wives: delicate notes through a slow start, and another one that builds to a strong finish - full of discordant drama.

Take to the Sky: we close proceedings with an upbeat acoustic song, full of airy and slightly strangled vocals.