The Depths · All albums

Bee Thousand

Guided by Voices · 1994

• Scores: Noise 3, Unease 2, Complexity 2 (each 1 to 5)
• Genre: Rock, Lo-Fi, Indie Rock
• Mood: scrappy, surreal, wistful
• Sound: four-track recording, tape hiss, short songs, fragmentary structures, abrupt endings, surreal lyrics

Recorded on Portastudios and basic home equipment in band members' garages and basements in Dayton, Ohio, this collects material made between 1984 and 1993. Many demo takes were kept, and flaws such as guitar dropouts on Hardcore UFO's and Mincer Ray stayed in. Most tracks are overdubbed or edited versions of older material, and the 20 songs run to only 36 minutes. Robert Pollard's influences were British Invasion rock and what he calls the four P's: pop, punk, progressive and psychedelic rock.

Track list

1. Hardcore UFO's (1:54)
2. Buzzards and Dreadful Crows (1:43)
3. Tractor Rape Chain (3:04)
4. The Goldheart Mountaintop Queen Directory (1:45)
5. Hot Freaks (1:42)
6. Smothered in Hugs (2:59)
7. Yours to Keep (1:15)
8. Echos Myron (2:42)
9. Gold Star for Robot Boy (1:39)
10. Awful Bliss (1:12)
11. Mincer Ray (2:21)
12. A Big Fan of the Pigpen (2:09)
13. Queen of Cans and Jars (1:55)
14. Her Psychology Today (2:04)
15. Kicker of Elves (1:04)
16. Ester's Day (1:51)
17. Demons Are Real (0:48)
18. I Am a Scientist (2:30)
19. Peep-Hole (1:25)
20. You're Not an Airplane (0:33)