English Little League

This album has been added to 1 public list:

• 

  2013

  James

  Rather than relying on nostalgia, the band sounds fully re-engaged on English Little League, with Pollard, Tobin Sprout, Mitch Mitchell, Greg Demos, and Kevin Fennell functioning as a genuine creative unit. The songwriting is unusually patient by GBV standards, allowing songs like "The Quiet Game" and "Biographer Seahorse" room to develop and surprise the listener. There's a reflective quality running through the album that distinguishes it from the more frantic energy of Class Clown Spots a UFO and The Bears for Lunch. The melodies are plentiful, but what makes the record special is its sense of atmosphere and emotional depth. It stands as one of the finest late-career Guided by Voices albums and a fitting farewell to that particular incarnation of the band.