Sing For Your Meat: A Tribute To Guided By Voices

Various Artists
Sing For Your Meat: A Tribute To Guided By Voices
No More Fake Labels [2011]









Fire Note Says: Guided By Voices tribute record a worthy release to snag on Record Store Day 2011!

Album Review:
Nothing ever validates a music career like a tribute album and on Record Store Day tomorrow, prolific artist and indie kings Guided By Voices receive their biggest and most noteworthy tribute record to date on Sing For Your Meat. Big stands next to small sums up the track listing as The Flaming Lips attend the party with a very soft and spacey version of "Smothered In Hugs" while Lou Barlow (Sebadoh, Dinosaur Jr.) recorded "Game Of Pricks" 12 times on a Walkman and then stacked them on top of each other for the perfect lo-fi vibe. On the other side of the name recognition spectrum, Chapel Hill five piece, I Was Totally Destroying It puts out a very cool synth heavy version of "I Am Produced" (also one of my personal fav GBV tunes) and New Yorker Gregg Yeti offers up a solid acoustic "Quality Of Armor". The highlights don't stop there either, as Blitzen Trapper adds a little harmonica into "Hot Freaks", indie darlings Cymbals Eat Guitars rev up "Gleemer" and Jason Isbell & The 400 Unit give "Everywhere With Helicopter" a sweet catchy Americana spin. Other names that you might know included here are David Kilgour (The Clean), La Sera (Vivian Girls), Elf Power, Superdrag, Crooked Fingers and Dayton Ohio native Kelley Deal (Breeders) with Cincinnati's Buffalo Killers. What really makes Sing For Your Meat a success is the effort and care that each band took recreating their favorite GBV track. This quality equals solid transitions from song to song and gives fans a tribute album that not only pays great homage to Guided By Voices but is worthy of repeat plays well after the club finally closes!

Key Tracks: "Everywhere With Helicopter" - Jason Isbell & The 400 Unit, "I Am Produced" - I Was Totally Destroying It, "Smothered In Hugs" - The Flaming Lips

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-Reviewed by Christopher Anthony