Alien Lanes is a 1995 album by lo-fi band Guided by Voices

Guided by Voices

Guided by Voices is an American indie rock band originating from Dayton, Ohio. Beginning with the band's formation in 1983, it made frequent personnel changes but always maintained the presence of principal songwriter Robert Pollard...

, their eighth full length album.

Pitchfork Media

Pitchfork Media

Pitchfork Media, usually known simply as Pitchfork or P4k, is a Chicago-based daily Internet publication established in 1995 that is devoted to music criticism and commentary, music news, and artist interviews. Its focus is on underground and independent music, especially indie rock...

 included Alien Lanes in their 'Top 100 Albums of the 90s' polls, at No. 27. Magnet

Magnet (magazine)

Magnet is a music magazine which generally focuses on alternative, independent, or out-of-the-mainstream bands.-History:The magazine is published four times a year, and is independently owned and edited by Eric T. Miller. Music magazines with a similar focus in the 1990s era included Option,...

named it the best album of 1995.

The album was GBV's first release with Matador Records

Matador Records

Matador Records is an independent record label, with a roster of indie rock artists and bands.-History:Matador was started by Chris Lombardi in 1989 in his New York City apartment. The following year, Lombardi was joined by former Homestead Records manager Gerard Cosloy, and the two of them have...

. According to James Greer

James Greer

James Greer is an American novelist, screenwriter, musician, and critic. He lives in Los Angeles but spends much of his time in France.-Career as a musician/critic:Greer was Senior Editor and Senior Writer at Spin magazine in NYC in the early 90s...

's book Guided by Voices: A Brief History: Twenty-One Years of Hunting Accidents in the Forests of Rock and Roll the advance for the record was close to a hundred thousand dollars, one of the more expensive deals in Matador's history. In contrast to the lucrative deal, Greer mentions that "The cost for recording Alien Lanes, if you leave out the beer, was about ten dollars."

Track listing

All songs written by Robert Pollard

Robert Pollard

Robert Pollard is an American rock musician and singer-songwriter who is the leader and creative force behind indie rock group Guided by Voices, who disbanded in 2004, only to reform in 2010...

 unless otherwise noted.

1. "A Salty Salute" (R. Pollard, Tobin Sprout
   Tobin Sprout
   Tobin Sprout is an American artist and musician, best known for his contributions as a member of indie rock group Guided by Voices.-History:A self taught musician. From an early age he played with and was a major collaborator to the Dayton, OH band Guided By Voices...
   
   ) – 1:29
2. "Evil Speakers" – :58
3. "Watch Me Jumpstart" – 2:24
4. "They're Not Witches" (Greg Demos
   Greg Demos
   Greg Demos is a Dayton, Ohio musician best known as the bassist in Guided by Voices. By trade, he is a partner in the law firm of Fowler, Demos & Stueve in Lebanon, Ohio...
   
   , Jim Pollard, R. Pollard) – :51
5. "As We Go Up, We Go Down" – 1:37
6. "(I Wanna Be a) Dumbcharger" – 1:13
7. "Game of Pricks" – 1:33
8. "The Ugly Vision" – 1:34
9. "A Good Flying Bird" (Sprout) – 1:07
10. "Cigarette Tricks" (Demos, J. Pollard, R. Pollard, Sprout) – :18
11. "Pimple Zoo" – :42
12. "Big Chief Chinese Restaurant" (J. Pollard, R. Pollard) – :56
13. "Closer You Are" – 1:56
14. "Auditorium" (R. Pollard, Sprout) – 1:02
15. "Motor Away" (R. Pollard, Sprout) – 2:06
16. "Hit" – :23
17. "My Valuable Hunting Knife" – 2:00
18. "Gold Hick" – :30
19. "King and Caroline" (R. Pollard, Sprout) – 1:36
20. "Striped White Jets" – 2:15
21. "Ex-Supermodel" (R. Pollard, Sprout) – 1:06
22. "Blimps Go 90" – 1:40
23. "Strawdogs" (Sprout) – 1:17
24. "Chicken Blows" – 2:21
25. "Little Whirl" (Sprout) – 1:46
26. "My Son Cool" – 1:41
27. "Always Crush Me" – 1:44
28. "Alright" – 2:56

Reception

Mark Deming of Allmusic feels the record is similar to Bee Thousand

Bee Thousand

Bee Thousand is the seventh album by American indie rock band Guided by Voices released on June 21, 1994. The album was recorded on consumer-quality audio recorders rather than in a studio, and many of the songs included were less than two minutes long...

, though without "as many obvious masterpieces" and "fewer obvious mistakes". Matt Diehl in a 1995 review in Rolling Stone

Rolling Stone

Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...

 described the album's music as "hooky rock that infuses songwriting smarts and a love of melody with a sometimes spiky, sometimes whimsical sense of experimentation".

Cover versions

Tracks from the album have been covered by various artists since its release. These include:

• "Game of Pricks", covered by American pop punk
  Pop punk
  Pop punk is a fusion music genre that combines elements of punk rock with pop music, to varying degrees. Allmusic describes the genre as a strand of alternative rock, which typically merges pop melodies with speedy punk tempos, chord changes and loud guitars...
  
   bands Magnapop
  Magnapop
  Magnapop is an alternative rock band based in Atlanta, Georgia. Formed in 1989, the band has consistently included songwriting duo Linda Hopper as vocalist and Ruthie Morris on guitar. Magnapop first achieved recognition in the Benelux countries of Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg through...
  
   from the German version of their album Mouthfeel
  Mouthfeel (album)
  Mouthfeel is the fourth studio album by Magnapop, released in 2005 and their first album since re-forming in 2004. This is their first release through Amy Ray's Daemon Records , with European distribution by DevilDuck Records....
  
  and Jimmy Eat World
  Jimmy Eat World
  Jimmy Eat World is an American alternative rock band from Mesa, Arizona, that formed in 1993. The band is composed of lead vocalist and guitarist Jim Adkins, guitarist and backing vocalist Tom Linton, bassist Rick Burch and drummer Zach Lind....
  
   released on the deluxe edition of Bleed American
  Bleed American
  -Personnel:Jimmy Eat World*Jim Adkins – vocals, guitar, percussion, bass guitar on "Your House", piano, organ on "My Sundown", bells, art direction*Rick Burch – bass guitar, vocals*Zach Lind – drums, percussion on "Your House" and "My Sundown"...
  
  . "Game of Pricks" was also covered by British post-Grunge band, My Vitriol
  My Vitriol
  My Vitriol are an alternative rock band from London, England. The band name, which is often misinterpreted, is taken from the novel Brighton Rock by Graham Greene...
  
  .
• "My Valuable Hunting Knife" was covered by Motion City Soundtrack
  Motion City Soundtrack
  Motion City Soundtrack is an American rock band from Minneapolis, Minnesota, formed in 1997. The band consists of founding members Justin Pierre and Joshua Cain , along with keyboardist and moog synthesist Jesse Johnson, bassist and backing vocalist Matthew Taylor, and drummer, percussionist and...
  
  .
• Opener "A Salty Salute" was covered by New York City
  New York City
  New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
  
   band The Strokes
  The Strokes
  The Strokes are an American indie rock band formed in 1999 in New York City. Consisting of Julian Casablancas , Nick Valensi , Albert Hammond, Jr. , Nikolai Fraiture and Fabrizio Moretti ....
  
  .