📚 Homework Alert: Lets Dig into Alien Lanes by Guided By Voices!
28 songs. 41 minutes. $10 to record. Is Alien Lanes a lo-fi masterpiece or a glorious mess? Your homework: listen, learn, and decide before our next episode!
Class is in session, DMO crew! This week, we’re diving into a lo-fi classic that defies the rules of album-making: Alien Lanes by Guided By Voices. Suggested by our very own DMO Union member Johnny Hooper, this 1995 gem is a glorious mess of fuzzed-out hooks, beer-soaked melodies, and 28 (!) songs packed into a lean 41 minutes.
If you’ve never ventured into the world of GBV, imagine a basement-recorded collision of The Beatles, The Who, and a bunch of garage-dwelling misfits armed with four-track recorders and an endless supply of cheap beer. Hailing from Dayton, Ohio, GBV—led by the ever-prolific Robert Pollard—crafted Alien Lanes as a DIY masterclass in making anthems out of tape hiss and half-finished ideas. It’s raw, weird, and oddly beautiful.
Fun Facts About Alien Lanes:
Recorded for just $10 (yes, you read that right). The band literally made it using whatever gear they had lying around.
It’s a rollercoaster of micro-songs—some last under a minute, yet somehow, they still hit.
Robert Pollard was a schoolteacher while making this album, proving that some of the best rock ‘n’ roll comes from the most unexpected places.
📝 Your Homework Assignment:
1️⃣ Listen to Alien Lanes – Go in with an open mind. Expect some weirdness. Expect some brilliance. Expect to wonder, “Wait, is this a demo or a masterpiece?” (Spoiler: It’s both).
2️⃣ Visit GBV’s Wikipedia page – Trust us, their history is just as chaotic and fascinating as their music.
3️⃣ Think about what works (and what doesn’t) – Does the lo-fi aesthetic make it better, or would you love to hear a slick, studio-polished version? What’s your favorite track?
Gather your thoughts and get ready for our deep dive on the next episode!
In Australia we had a band called TISM, This is serious mum, and they were all schoolteachers.
They had a song called." he will never an old man river". The song was about how everyone mourned the death of River Pheonix when at the same time Sir Edmund Hillary, the first non sherpa, to reach the summit of Mount Everest had also died but was ignored. Apparently they played this song to their students to wake them up.
They also have songs about life, Greg the stop sign, and historical songs about Hitler called " deficate on my face". I suggest everyone check out this band as they had a huge possitve affect on many schoolkids. They made learning interesting and not fun. They questioned the narrative of life. So cool.