Guided by Voices

HIDDEN ERROR: Usage of "Instruments" is not recognized

Guided by Voices (often abbreviated as GBV) is an American indie rock band originating from Dayton, Ohio. It made frequent personnel changes but always maintained the presence of principal songwriter Robert Pollard. Guided by Voices initially disbanded in 2004, though many of its former members remain musically involved in solo careers or other projects.

Noted at first for its lo-fi aesthetic and typically Portastudio four-tracks-to-cassette production methods, Guided by Voices' music revealed influences from post-British Invasion garage rock, psychedelic rock, progressive rock, punk rock and post-punk. The band also garnered much attention for its prolific output, with a seemingly endless stream of releases. Most songs are in the two-minute range, but many are even shorter; often they end abruptly or are intertwined with odd and homemade sound effects.

In 2010, the "classic lineup" of Guided by Voices reunited to perform at Matador Records 21st anniversary party, and subsequently undertook a national tour. After reforming, the band released six new albums. The band broke up for a second time in late 2014, but reunited once more in February 2016.

Bee Thousand

Bee Thousand is the seventh album by American indie rock band Guided by Voices released on June 21, 1994. It was recorded on consumer-quality audio recorders rather than in a studio, and many of the songs are less than two minutes long. After its release the band became one of the more prominent groups associated with the "lo-fi" genre, a movement defined by the relatively poor recording quality of audio releases. Musically, the album draws inspiration from British Invasion-era rock music and punk rock. Following the release of Bee Thousand, the band began to attract interest from other record labels, eventually signing with Matador for their next album.

Background

Guided by Voices is a Dayton, Ohio-based band formed in 1983. Although by 1992 the band had released five full-length albums (not including their 1986 debut EP, Forever Since Breakfast), Guided by Voices was not a band in a conventional sense; its line-up was extremely loose, consisting of whoever of a group of friends showed up to short notice recording sessions. Robert Pollard thought of Guided by Voices as more of a "songwriter's guild" than a band, and also said that "Whoever could come over would play. [...] It was just a bunch of friends who could occasionally get together so it didn't really feel like a band."

Robotboy

Robotboy is an American-British-French animated television series which is produced by French production company Alphanim for France 3 and Cartoon Network Europe, as well as the studios LuxAnimation and Cofinova 1. It was created and designed by Jan Van Rijsselberge and was directed in Alphanim's studio in Paris by Charlie Bean, who worked on other programs such as Dexter's Laboratory, The Powerpuff Girls, and Samurai Jack. The series first aired in the United Kingdom on 1 November 2005 on Cartoon Network. The series premiered in the United States on 28 December 2005 as part of a "sneak peek" preview week for the network's new Saturday morning cartoon lineup that debuted on 14 January 2006. The show is still airing in Eastern Europe, United Kingdom, Italy and Germany but is no longer shown in the United States or Asian territories.

Plot

Robotboy is the latest creation of the world-renowned scientist Professor Moshimo. Due to fears that Robotboy would be stolen by his arch-enemy Dr. Kamikazi and his main henchman Constantine to be used to take over the world, Professor Moshimo entrusts Robotboy to 10-year-old Tommy Turnbull, his biggest fan. While being protected by Tommy and his two friends Lola and Gus, or "G-Man" as he calls himself, Robotboy learns how to behave and act as if he were a real boy while occasionally battling Dr. Kamikazi and Constantine who sought out to capture him.

Gold Star

The Gold Star medal (Russian: медаль «Золотая Звезда») is a special insignia that identifies recipients of the title "Hero" in the Soviet Union and some of its allies, and several post-Soviet states.

Soviet origin

The Gold Star was established by the decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet on August 1, 1939. Previously, a Hero of the Soviet Union was awarded the Order of Lenin and a special diploma (gramota, грамота) describing the heroic feat. The medal was introduced to distinguish these heroes from other Order of Lenin recipients.

The Gold Star was not normally issued for posthumous awards of the title "Hero of the Soviet Union".

The Soviet medal is a gold star hanging from a rectangular suspension device with a red ribbon. It is worn on the left side of the chest above all other orders and medals.

Although it is described as a medal, it is actually a distinctive badge, worn apart and above any other orders and medals, and always in full.

Post-Soviet successors

Since the breakup of the Soviet Union, the title "Hero of the Soviet Union" was succeeded by titles and insignia in some of the now-independent states, such as "Hero of Belarus", "Hero of the Russian Federation" and "Hero of Ukraine". Their associated badges derive from the Soviet medal design, replacing red with the color(s) of the issuing state (red for the USSR, white/blue/red for the Russian Federation, blue/yellow for Ukraine, red/green for Belarus).

I Am a Scientist

I Am a Scientist is a 1994 EP released by Guided by Voices. The title track originally appeared in a stripped down, four track version on the band's celebrated 1994 LP Bee Thousand; a music video was also made. The song appears here in a live-in-studio full-band arrangement recorded by Andy Shernoff, along with 3 other songs.

Track listing

All songs written by Robert Pollard.

References