Guided by Voices - Crystal Nuns Cathedral - VINYL LP

Angelo Gilardino (born 1941) is one of the most important guitar composers of the last half century. His unique style is a blend of the old and new, folk art and contemporary music, from Mozart to Messiaen, all his works are illuminated by a warm and Mediterranean glow, a feeling of humanity and love for life. This new recording brings together Gilardino's works inspired by Spain the important and substantial Sonata Guadalquivir, a selection from the Transcendental Studies, and the touching Colloqio con Andrés Segovia. The musical and historical roots of this beautiful music are deep in Spain and it's culture, delving from the profound heart of the guitar sound obscure and at the same time crystalline, penetrating and elusive, from the innermost of Man's soul. Played with affection and dedication by Antonio Rugolo, a winner of several international guitar competitions. He recorded 5 solo albums and recorded for Brilliant Classics guitar duos by Lhoyer.

Tremblers And Goggles By Rank marks a new phase in Robert Pollard's songwriting evolution. His songs have always included non-traditional approaches to form and song structure, but with this album, he has pushed it further than ever. While the familiar Guided by Voices pop-craft and melodic virtuosity always occupies center stage, the first-time listener will never be able to predict what's coming next in a song. InchAlex BellInch and InchFocus On The FlockInch are the two anchors, each one expansive and filled with rock grandeur, and both exemplifying the complex wordplay, melodies, and structures that are hallmarks of the album. GBV's latest batch of brilliant songs ride on colorful psychedelic flourishes and brash post-punk textures that make this ten-song album a one-of-a-kind head trip. While there are hooks and earworms aplenty within, this album is a complex and kaleidoscopic journey, representing a new echelon in the Guided by Voices universe. It represents another level of songwriting and performance from the group. It plays out like an intricate and powerful collage, in a very multicolored and multi-faceted fashion; a work grand in scale and undertaking. There are triumphant and glorious choruses, deep and dark wormholes, sinewy twists and turns, bold and theatrical bravados, massive cliffs, plateaus, peaks, and valleys-these emotional landscapes reach new and unexpected heights along the way.

Even back in 1987, Guided by Voices was not content to just one album in a year-Sandbox was released in the summer of that year following Devil Between My Toes' appearance that February. Likewise, in similar GBV style, the sound and approach of the two albums could not be more different. Where Devil mostly mines a darker, lo-fi psychedia, along with several instrumental explorations, Sandbox is sunny, direct, has a bigger, crunchier sound, and zero instrumentals. Where Devil has a murky and impressionistic black and white photo of a rooster for a cover, Sandbox sports a full color photo of the band relaxing on a lawn on a sunny day. Let's also recall that unlike today, in 1987 a full-color album jacket wasn't just a little more expensive than a black and white one, it was way more expensive. Right up front, the band was communicating that this was a more commercially ambitious endeavor, while behind the scenes they rented better gear for a bigger sound, and tackled more sophisticated arrangements and honed in on the hooks and harmonies of the songs.Of all the band's early self-released albums, Sandbox differs the most from the sound fans would later associate with the group, which is in itself a recommendation. Nowhere else will you hear the perfectly rendered three-part harmonies of InchLong Distance Man,Inch direct Beatles quotes, or Robert Pollard reveling in his southern Ohio drawl. It's also true that one of the more enjoyable aspects of the record is finding all the places where the band's future is indeed foreshadowed. Simply put, Guided by Voices just can't help but be a little weird, even when attempting something like a power pop album. At the close of the opening track, Pollard announces, InchLadies and gentlemen! Back by popular demand for your entertainment and spiritual enlightenment... Electric Jam Soul Aquarium!Inch a truly Inchwtf is happening hereI