Monday, November 23, 2020

RE:SCORE - Guided By Voices: Hold on Hope EP (2000)

TOTAL SCORE: 37, AVG: 3.70

My copy of the Hold on Hope EP does not include Perfect this Time (see my original post), but since some copies of the EP do include that song, I'll include and write about it here in my re:score. Even without Perfect this Time I called Hold on Hope my favorite EP, and said it was like a scaled back version of Do the Collapse and more in line with the GBV that we always knew, while still moving forward in a finer production style...

    Listening to the Hold on Hope EP today, I am still amazed at the high quality of the songs here, and it still truly does outshine its full album counterpart Do the Collapse. Any of the songs in the "Almost Gems" listing could be upgraded to "Gems" (Underground Initiations is the most likely candidate),  and everything is just very solid. 

    Since I didn't get to write about it originally, Perfect this Time is another solid track with great riffs and melody, and a liquid structure that doesn't quite fit the standard song structure mold; there isn't really a chorus, but instead a poetic verse structure that reminds me somewhat of Your Name is Wild. It is interesting to me that it is the one song missing from what I consider the "standard" version of this EP given it is probably the best song on an already great EP. 

    I think this EP is the best thing that came out of the Do the Collapse era, even beating out the Gillard/Pollard collaboration Speak Kindly of Your Volunteer Fire Department, Lexo and the Leapers (though if Ask Them had more songs that might be a different story), and of course Do the Collapse itself. Here is the updated ranking:

    Among Bob's Best
    -- none

    Gems
    ** Perfect this Time

    Almost Gems
    01 Underground Initiations
    02 Interest Position
    03 Fly Into Ashes
    04 Tropical Robots
    05 A Crick Uphill
    07 Avalanche Aminos

    They're Good
    06 Idiot Princess
    09 Hold on Hope

    They're OK
    08 Do the Collapse

    Could Live Without
    -- none

    Toss-Offs & Throwaways
    -- none

    Given the scoring above, the album would get 36 points total (and an average of 3.70). 

    No comments: