The difference between the inconsistent, scrappy, at times terrific
Alien Lanes and the better-developed follow-up,
Under the Bushes Under the Stars -- aside from the recording upgrade to 24-track -- was that
Guided by Voices canned the impulse to include every little 20-to-50-second idea they came up, however fragmentary. Instead,
Robert Pollard and
Tobin Sprout worked harder, composing more satisfying, finished tunes, without compromising the spontaneous combustion. Ever wonder what happened to the lesser-developed pieces that didn't make
Bushes? They arrived, behind schedule, on the ten-song, 23-minute
Sunfish Holy Breakfast, and the results are mixed, like some of their previous "leftovers" EPs. At EP cost,
Sunfish is a boisterous bargain, thanks to the cream material that starts with song five, the super-riff shine of
Pollard's "Cocksoldiers and Their Postwar Stubble," continuing through the nimble, harsh acoustic waltz of (the previously released on 7") "If We Wait," another
GBV gem! Even bassist Jim Greer gets in on the act with a hummable guitar-and-voice ditty, "Trendspotter Acrobat." Not a bad little stopgap release -- this crop of crumbs from the most prolific pack of popsters in 20 years. ~ Jack Rabid