Sweating The Plague, Guided by Voices 29th album and their third this year, spars playfully with stadium sized fidelity and uncharacteristically impactful arrangements. Sweating The Plague is an uncharacteristically concise rock’n’roll record, with lush gems tucked in amongst the hooks and hits, and with a sprinkling of prog rock moves. And, as usual with Pollard, the album is sequenced as a whole, a coherent collection, rather than a selection of downloadable content baubles.

Producer Travis Harrison’s counterintuitive approach to Guided By Voices’ historically lo-fi sound was that he didn’t want it to sound homemade. Sweating The Plague is constructed as a classic 12 song album experience, made to be played loud. Being a fan of Pollard, and Guided by Voices, can feel like standing in a ticker tape parade and reaching out to grab at stray releases as they endless flurry of output from the Needmore Songs publishing house billows around you. But here’s twelve of Pollard content in one handy package, all boxed up and ready to go.

Guided By Voices
Sweating The Plague
Tracklisting

1. Downer
2. Street Party
3. Mother’s Milk Elementary
4. Heavy Like the World
5. Ego Central High
6. The Very Second
7. Tiger on Top
8. Unfun Glitz
9. Your Cricket Is Rather Unique
10. Immortals
11. My Wrestling Days Are Over
12. Sons of the Beard

Guided By Voices
Tour Dates

Fri 11/29 – Grog Shop – Cleveland, OH
Sat 11/30 – Saint Andrews Hall – Detroit, MI
Fri 12/6 – Underground Arts – Philadelphia, PA
Sat 12/7 – Black Cat – Washington, DC
Tue 12/31 – Teragram Ballroom – Los Angeles, CA (SOLD OUT) – special show: 100 songs (one time only!)