CD Review: Guided By Voices - Suitcase 2: American Superdream Wow

Five years ago, Guided By Voices released the first installment in their box-set series of unreleased tracks, Suitcase. This year, the sequel has finally arrived and it follows the same format as the original Suitcase: Four discs, 25 songs each, 100 songs total, spanning every era of Guided By Voices history.

For the uninitiated, GBV were one of the longest-running, most prolific, and hardest touring indie rock bands in America for over twenty years before they called it quits in 2004, much to the chagrin of their small but incredibly rabid fan base (full disclosure: I am very much a member of this fiercely loyal group).

Suitcase 2 is not for the casual fan or newcomer to the GBV saga (the cheaply priced, astonishingly consistent best-of Human Amusements at Hourly Rates would be the best entry point), but for those who ever wondered what exactly everyone is going on about in regards to GBV, Suitcase 2 is a great starting point, and arguably better than the original Suitcase.

It is difficult to review a record that has so many songs of such varying quality, but since I started listening to Suitcase 2 I have added over thirty songs to my "Best of Suitcase 2" play list, and I add about three or four on average every time I listen to it. By the time I'm finished, about fifty of the 100 songs will probably be must-listens, worthy of real scrutiny.

When you consider how many albums come out that have one or two great singles and tons of filler, that's actually a pretty great ratio. And the songs that I choose not to include might end up being some of your favorites, and you might think some of my choices are toss-offs. Half the fun of this set is its interactivity - you can make your own favorite "Suitcase" of songs to carry around with you.

Article Author: Max Burke

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