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Guided By Voices 'Collapse' With Cars' Ocasek; Sign With TVT
04/21/1999 4:00 PM, Yahoo! Music
Craig Rosen
(4/21/99, 1 p.m. PDT) - Longtime "lo-fi" indie rock faves Guided By Voices have hooked up with onetime Cars frontman Ric Ocasek for Do The Collapse, the Dayton, Ohio band's debut for the TVT label, which is due on Aug. 3. Produced by Ocasek, whose production credits include Suicide, Possum Dixon, and Weezer, the album features GBV's new lineup consisting of songwriter/ leader Robert Pollard on vocals and guitar, Doug Gillard (Gem, ex-Cobra Verde/ Death Of Samantha) on guitar/ vocals, Jim McPherson (ex-Breeders) on drums, and Nate Farely (ex-Amps, Breeders) on bass/ guitar. The new GBV lineup previewed some of its forthcoming material last month at the annual South By Southwest Music Festival in front of a huge mass at Waterloo Park in Austin, Texas (Close To The Edit, 3/22). That gig revealed that GBV was no longer content with its cult status and "lo-fi" sound, as the band put on a full-on rock spectacle, including Pollard's Daltrey-esque microphone swinging, that perfectly suited the festival setting. The new spirit is reportedly also in evidence on Do The Collapse, which TVT calls the band's "most majestic statement to date." Those who weren't at that particular gig can still preview the new GBV right here on LAUNCH.com. "Hold On Hope" is one of the featured downloadable tracks using Microsoft's new Windows Media Technologies 4.0 (LAUNCH, 4/13). Throughout the '90s, GBV has garnered rave reviews from critics for its catalog of "lo-fi" recordings released on a number of indie labels. The GBV signing is the latest in a series from TVT, which is emerging as a force to reckon with in the alternative rock world after inking XTC as well as Arrested Development frontman Speech. "Guided By Voices are the type of artist every label dreams of working with," said TVT president/ founder Steve Gottlieb in a statement announcing the band's signing. "GBV are one of the only bands able to combine arena rock excitement with prolific songwriting and, in my opinion, they deserve recognition alongside the great rock 'n' roll bands of our time." To support Do The Collapse, GBV will hit the road for a 10-month world tour which will kick off on July 4 on an Orange County, Calif. festival that will reportedly include such fellow indie rock stalwarts as Sonic Youth, Sleater-Kinney, Superchunk, Boredom, Apples In Stereo, and Sunny Day Real Estate. Features on Guided By Voices, Ric Ocasek, XTC, and Apples In Stereo are available on LAUNCH.com. Got news tips, comments, or questions? Send them to newstips@launch.com.
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