Warp & Woof / Guided By Voices
Label: Guided By Voices Inc.

Reviewed: 6/3/2019

DJ Stace

There's something wrong with Robert Pollard. This is his 4 millionth release. This year.

Original Release Info: Following GBV's sprawling double-album Zeppelin Over China, Robert Pollard has written and recorded another full-length in record-breaking time. It's Warp and Woof (April 26, 2019), exuberantly barreling through 24 songs in just 37 minutes with a brevity similar to mid-90s GBV albums Alien Lanes and Vampire On Titus. GBV kicked this one out in a flash, recorded in studios, club soundchecks, hotel rooms and even in the tour van.

FCCs: none

RIYL: GBV, perfect pop rock songs, brevity

Play: Everything.


1. Bury The Mouse 1:30 - Mid tempo head nodding rocker with Pollard's trademark singing from inside a coffee can.
2. Angelic Weirdness 1:31 - Mid-tempo, super lo-fi acoustic power chords and pots and pans rhythm gives way to a little higher quality about 45 seconds in. Repetitive with a little flourish at the end.
3. Foreign Deputies 1:01 - slow, single electric guitar picking and pollard a cappella. nifty little John Wayne sample at the end.
4. Dead Liquor Store 1:31 - Rapid fire tiny little rocker, changes pace completely at 1:00 then briefly returns.
5. Mumbling Amens 1:54 - Starts quiet and slow tempo. Mid-tempo and somber.
6. Cohesive Scoops 1:31 - Strummy and jangly, mid to uptempo. Catchy refrain.
7. Photo Range Within 1:14 - Uptempo, Bouncy and fun.
8. My Dog Surprise 1:39 - Wide and crashy. Echoey and goofy sounding vocals. A bit kooky.
9. Tiny Apes 1:08 - Brief, uptempo and staccato.
10. Blue Jay House 2:03 - Uptempo, driving and sounds like vintage GBV.
11. Down The Island 1:37 - Ethereal, jangly and airy. A bit quiet and slow to mid-tempo.
12. Thimble Society 1:44 - Mid-tempo with killer opening riffs. Upright and anthemic.
13. My Angel 1:28 - Driving and catchy. With cowbell. I like the staccato lyric styling.
14. More Reduction Linda 1:33 - Uptempo riffage and tom tom rhythms. With either playground Nice harmony in the chorus.
15. Cool Jewels And Aprons 1:25 - Driving and well developed uptempo rocker. Beginning riff reminds me of an Echo &T Bunnymen tune, somehow.
16. Even Next 1:40 - slow, acoustic picking and simple snare rhythm. Strings accompany.
17. It Will Never Be Simple 2:32 - A sprawling mid-tempo acoustic epic compared to the rest of the album. Jangly and with a nice melody over the top. Fades out rather quickly.
18. The Stars Behind Us 1:23 - Familiar driving drum beat and fuzzed out rhythm and lead guitars, give way to epic crashiness and a noisy ending.
19. Skull Arrow 1:04 - Fast-paced driving acoustic rhythm guitars. Silly Robert Pollard
20. Out Of The Blue Race 1:22 - Slow-tempo, but rocking insistent, plodding and marching. Another anthemic Pollard special.
21. Coming Back From Now On 1:53 - Live or mock-live rhythm shifting rocker. Mid-tempo with great drums, changes pace at about 30 second intervals. Nice Eddie Van Halen lead at the end.
22. The Pipers, The Vipers, The Snakes 1:48 - Mid-tempo power chord-based plodding rocker.
23. Time Remains In Central Position 1:50 - Steady and familiar-sounding strumming mid-tempo jangler with a bit of a messy ending.
24. End It With Light 1:11 - Uptempo and insistent machine-gun riffs for the big little (brief) end. Imagine all the stage backlighting behind Robert Pollard for this epic crashing finale.