Guided By Voices: Thick Rich And Delicious [Album Review]

Guided By Voices
Thick Rich And Delicious
GBV Inc. [2025]

“A loud, lean, and irresistibly catchy reminder that Guided By Voices still own the art of the rock record.”

Album Overview: Formed in Dayton, Ohio, in the early 1980s, Guided By Voices began as a basement experiment led by former schoolteacher Robert Pollard. Over time, the band has evolved into one of indie rock’s most revered institutions, celebrated for its blend of British Invasion hooks and lo-fi grit. Across four decades and more albums than you can easily count, Pollard’s instinct for compact, melody-driven songwriting remains the heart of the GBV universe. Alongside longtime collaborators Doug Gillard, Kevin March, Mark Shue, and Bobby Bare Jr., he continues to treat the rock album as a living, breathing art form.

Thick Rich and Delicious captures Guided By Voices in a state of joyful precision. The record stitches together fresh compositions with reimagined early material, bridging eras of sound and spirit. Recorded live in a Brooklyn studio, these performances carry the punch and confidence of a seasoned lineup playing on instinct. Instead of sprawling experimentation, the songs favor sharp structures, killer hooks, and a spark that recalls GBV’s early glory. Even the instrumentals hit with purpose, sliding perfectly into the mix. It’s proof that, forty years in, Pollard’s creative flame still burns white-hot.

Musical Style: This one thrives on crisp guitars, airtight rhythms, and that signature GBV blend of melody and muscle. Doug Gillard’s guitar phrasing and Pollard’s pop instincts steer the ship, while harmonies from Bobby Bare Jr. (credited cheekily as the Self-Righteous Brothers) add extra lift. The live, minimal-overdub approach gives each track an electric edge—raw but refined. It’s pure power pop with just enough grime, pulling from the DNA of ‘60s British pop, ‘70s arena rock, and ‘90s indie crunch, all through GBV’s unmistakable lens.

Evolution of Sound: Recent records like Universe Room leaned into complex, art-rock territory, but Thick Rich and Delicious strips things back to instinct and chemistry. The decision to record loud and live reclaims the urgency of their early years while showcasing just how locked-in this lineup has become. Pollard and company trade intricacy for impact, favoring groove and momentum over overthinking. The result feels both nostalgic and fresh—like rediscovering old sketches with a sharper pencil.

Artists with Similar Fire: Fans of The Posies, Teenage Fanclub, and Cheap Trick should be here. There’s also the melodic shimmer of Big Star and the scruffy charm of The Replacements, all run through GBV’s singular filter. Listeners who dig Sloan, Superdrag, or The Shins will recognize that same devotion to catchy choruses, guitars, and literate fun.

Pivotal Tracks: “Xeno Urban” struts out of the gate with swagger, layering harmonies before gliding into an acoustic dream in its final stretch. “Lucy’s World” showcases Pollard’s melodic gifts at their most effortless, while “(You Can’t Go Back To) Oxford Talawanda” spins a memory into a jangly a hometown anthem. “Siren” rides a pulsing rhythm that’s more about instrument mood than voice, and “Phantasmagoric Upstarts” simmers with tension and crunch. Closer “Captain Kangaroo Won the War” delivers the kind of surreal, crowd-shouting moment that GBV fans live for. Each song here adds to the record’s unified sense of renewal.

Lyrical Strength: Pollard’s lyrics remain cryptic and vivid, packed with strange imagery and sharp phrasing that rolls naturally into each melody. His words conjure small, surreal snapshots—schools, dreamscapes, and bits of hometown mythology—stitched into a universe that’s unmistakably his. Thick Rich and Delicious balances spontaneity with precision, proof that Pollard still writes like someone chasing the perfect line even after hundreds of albums.

Final Groove: Thick Rich and Delicious reminds you exactly why Guided By Voices still matter. It’s GBV in full command—concise, catchy, and a little chaotic in all the right ways. The band sounds on fire, the songs crackle with urgency, and Pollard feels locked into his element. Four decades on, they’re not coasting on nostalgia—they’re proving, once again, that rock’s pulse still beats strongest in Dayton.

GUIDED BY VOICES REVIEW HISTORY
Universe Room (2025) / Strut Of Kings (2024) / Nowhere To Go But Up (2023) / Welshpool Frillies (2023) / La La Land (2023) / Scalping The Guru (2022) / Tremblers And Goggles By Rank (2022) / Crystal Nuns Cathedral (2022) / It’s Not Them. It Couldn’t Be Them. It Is Them! (2021) / Cub Scout Bowling Pins: Clang Clang Ho (2021) / Earth Man Blues (2021) / Mirrored Aztec (2020) / Surrender Your Poppy Field (2020) / Sweating The Plague (2019) / Warp And Woof (2019) / Zeppelin Over China (2019) / Space Gun (2018) / Ogre’s Trumpet (2018) / How Do You Spell Heaven (2017) / August By Cake (2017) / Please Be Honest (2016) / Suitcase 4 (2015) / Cool Planet (2014) / Motivational Jumpsuit (2014) / English Little League (2013) / Down By The Racetrack EP (2013) / The Bears For Lunch (2012) / Class Clown Spots A UFO (2012) / Let’s Go Eat The Factory (2012)

GUIDED BY VOICES LINKS
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