The Crawling Distance | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | January 20, 2009 | |||
Genre | Rock, indie rock | |||
Label | Guided by Voices Inc. | |||
Producer | Todd Tobias | |||
Robert Pollard chronology | ||||
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Aggregate scores | |
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Source | Rating |
Metacritic | 64/100 [1] |
Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
Pitchforkmedia | (2.8/10) [2] |
PopMatters | [3] |
Spin | [4] |
The Times | [5] |
The Crawling Distance is the 11th studio album by singer-songwriter Robert Pollard, released on January 20, 2009. Similar to many of Pollard's releases since Fiction Man in 2004, all instrumentation on the album was performed by producer Todd Tobias.
Guided by Voices (GBV) is an American indie rock band formed in 1983 in Dayton, Ohio. It has made frequent personnel changes but always maintained the presence of principal songwriter Robert Pollard. The most well-known lineup of the band consisted of Pollard, his brother Jim, Mitch Mitchell, Tobin Sprout, Kevin Fennell (drums), and bassist Greg Demos. Noted at first for its lo-fi aesthetic and Portastudio four-tracks-to-cassette production methods, Guided by Voices' music was influenced by early post–British Invasion garage rock, psychedelic rock, progressive rock, punk rock and post-punk. The band has had a prolific output, releasing 35+ full-length albums along with many other releases, and has garnered a dedicated cult following. Their songs are known for their frequent brevity and for ending abruptly or intertwining with homemade sound effects.
Robert Ellsworth Pollard Jr. is an American singer and songwriter who is the leader and creative force behind indie rock group Guided by Voices. In addition to his work with Guided by Voices, he continues to have a prolific solo career with 22 solo albums released so far.
Tobin Sprout is an American visual artist, musician, songwriter, and children's author. He is best known as a former member of the indie rock band Guided by Voices. He served as a secondary major songwriter and guitarist of the group from 1987 to 1997 and again from 2010 to 2014.
Bee Thousand is the seventh album by American indie rock band Guided by Voices, released on June 21, 1994, on Scat Records. After its release the band became one of the more prominent groups associated with the "lo-fi" genre, a movement defined by the relatively low fidelity 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.
Alien Lanes is the eighth full-length album by American lo-fi band Guided by Voices, released on April 4, 1995.
Mag Earwhig! is the 10th studio album by American indie rock band Guided by Voices. Following the dissolution of the group's "classic" lineup, band-leader Robert Pollard recruited Cleveland group Cobra Verde as his backing band, while retaining the Guided by Voices name. It was the second release to feature future long-term collaborator Doug Gillard. Gillard had previously played on and co-wrote the song "Mice Feel Nice " on the Tigerbomb EP. Most of Mag Earwhig! was recorded in a professional studio in Cleveland by the new lineup and marked a departure from band's trademark lo-fi sound; additional songs were also recorded in Dayton, Ohio.
Earthquake Glue is the 14th record by Dayton, Ohio rock group Guided by Voices. Working titles for the album included "Model Prisoners of the 5 Sense Realm", "Live Like Kings Forever", and "All Sinners Welcome". The first 25,000 copies were packaged in a numbered limited-edition digipak. Some copies of Earthquake Glue contained a golden ticket; people with a golden ticket were entitled to a free copy of the anthology box set Hardcore UFOs: Revelations, Epiphanies and Fast Food in the Western Hemisphere.
Same Place the Fly Got Smashed is the fourth album by American indie rock band Guided by Voices.
From a Compound Eye is the fifth solo studio album by American musician Robert Pollard, released in 2006. Though Pollard had already released several albums under his own name, this album, being the first released after the 2004 dissolution of his longtime vehicle Guided by Voices, was considered to be the official commencement of his solo career.
Kid Marine is the third solo studio album by American indie rock musician Robert Pollard, released in 1999. It is the first release of Robert Pollard's Fading Captain Series.
Speak Kindly of Your Volunteer Fire Department is a collaboration album between American indie rock musicians Robert Pollard and Doug Gillard released in 1999. For the album, Gillard recorded instrumental tracks for songs Pollard had written, to which Pollard later added vocals.
Motel of Fools is an EP by American indie rock musician Robert Pollard, released in 2003.
Todd Tobias is an American multi-instrumentalist and record producer, best known for his work with Robert Pollard and his band Guided by Voices. Other projects include Circus Devils, Kramies, The Library Is On Fire, and musical theater composer and lyricist George Griggs.
Under the Bushes Under the Stars is the ninth Guided by Voices album overall, and the last until 2012's Let's Go Eat the Factory to feature the "classic" lineup including Tobin Sprout, Mitch Mitchell, and Kevin Fennell in addition to leader Robert Pollard. The album is noted as Guided by Voices' first stab at professionalism, being recorded in 24 track studios rather than their customary 4 track. Sessions for the album were reportedly arduous, spread as they were across at least four studios and as many sets of producers, and many titles and configurations were vetted before a final sequence was reached.
Elephant Jokes is the 12th studio album released by singer-songwriter Robert Pollard on August 11, 2009, and the 8th full-length album to be released by Pollard since the break-up of his band Guided by Voices in 2004. Unlike recent Pollard albums, Todd Tobias does not play all the instruments on Elephant Jokes, as Pollard plays some guitar on this album.
Our Cubehouse Still Rocks is the 4th album by the Boston Spaceships, released in 2010. The title refers to a passage from Finnegans Wake, the classic modernist novel by James Joyce. This album is the highest rating Boston Spaceships release on metacritic, superseding 'Let It Beard'; This release is also the highest rating Robert Pollard project on the site, with his solo album, 'Lord Of The Birdcage,' being his highest rating album in general.
Let It Beard is the fifth and final album by the Boston Spaceships, released in 2011. The album charted for one week on Billboard's Top Heatseekers chart at #42.
Big Trouble is an album by the Hazzard Hotrods, a recording of informal 1990 performance by Robert Pollard, Tobin Sprout, Mitch Mitchell, and Larry Kellar, released in 2000.
Ghost Ships is the ninth solo studio album by Australian singer-songwriter James Reyne released on 29 September 2007. The album is an acoustic recording of songs from his solo career and Australian Crawl and Company of Strangers songs.
August by Cake is the 24th album by the Dayton, Ohio-based group Guided by Voices. It is also said to be the 100th album recorded by main member Robert Pollard, though different numbers have been counted in his entire discography and side projects. It was released on April 7, 2017. August by Cake is a double album.