Recorded during the sub-freezing Polar Vortex of 2014, the next Guided by Voices record is titled Cool Planet.

Here we have another wineskin full of songs to listen to, recorded in a single proper studio – Cyberteknics in Dayton, Ohio – for the first time since their inexhaustible reformation. There’s some unusually consistent production on Cool Planet, thanks to the array of vintage equipment on offer at Cyberteknics.

Cool Planet has a weighty crunch that will lay you flat, which is perhaps also in part due to the addition of ex-late-version GBV tub-thumper Kevin March on drums.

Robert Pollard has talked in recent months about having refined his approach to songwriting (as if that was a thing that needed to happen) and the tunes he’s written for Cool Planet stack up against the best he’s ever done, including the hard hitting title track, which is just begging to be played live. Guitarist Tobin Sprout steps up with (among others) a Bowie-esque number (“Psychotic Crush”) and a Beatle-esque number (“All American Boy”) – it should be noted that Tobin recorded his songs for the most part at his home studio in Leland, Michigan, but they fit like Legos in the plastic palace of Cool Planet.

‘Cool Planet’ LP Tracklisting

01. Authoritarian Zoo
02. Fast Crawl
03. Psychotic Crush
04. Costume Makes the Man
05. Hat of Flames
06. These Dooms
07. Table at Fool’s Tooth
08. All American Boy
09. You Get Every Game
10. Pan Swimmer
11. The Bone Church
12. Bad Love is Easy to Do
13. The No Doubters
14. Narrated by Paul
15. Cream of Lung
16. Males of Wormwood Mars
17. Ticket to Hide
18. Cool Planet

Robert Pollard –  vocals, guitar
Tobin Sprout – guitar, vocals
Mitch Mitchell – guitar
Greg Demos – bass
Kevin March – drums

Tour Dates

05.22 – Philadelphia, PA – Trocadero Theater
05.23 – New York, NY – Bowery Ballroom*
05.24 – Washington, DC – Black Cat#
6.02.14 Des Moines, IA – Wooly’s^
6.03.14 Omaha, NE – The Waiting Room^
6.04.14 Englewood, CO – The Gothic Theatre^
6.06.14 Spokane, WA – Knitting Factory^
6.07.14 Portland, OR – Wonder Ballroom^
6.08.14 Seattle, WA – The Showbox at the Market^
6.10.14 Santa Cruz, CA – Rio Theatre^
6.11.14 San Francisco, CA – The Regency Ballroom^
6.13.14 Los Angeles, CA – The Fonda Theatre^
6.14.14 Solana Beach, CA – Belly Up Tavern^
6.15.14 Phoenix, AZ – Crescent Ballroom^
6.18.14 Lawrence, KS – The Granada^
6.20.14 Madison, WI – Barrymore Theatre^

*with Doug Gillard opening
#with Doug Gillard and Atomic Forces opening
^with Bobby Bare

http://www.gbv.com/