Guided By Voices AUGUST BY CAKE

To state the obvious: Guided by Voices is a band defined by the lyrical and musical voice of Robert Pollard. Since they formed in the mid-'80s, Pollard has been GbV's leader, and these days, as the frontman and only consistent member of the group, his status as their absolute ruler is uncontested. Which is one of the reasons 2017's August by Cake is a pleasant surprise. While this music is certainly governed by Pollard's prog-addled smart pop worldview, August by Cake unveils a GbV lineup that sounds more like a band than anything that's appeared under the band's rubric since the early 2000s. August by Cake introduces yet another new edition of Guided by Voices, with Pollard joined by guitarists Doug Gillard and Bobby Bare, Jr., bassist Mark Shue, and drummer Kevin March. Gillard and March have worked extensively with Pollard in the past, but with Bare as the wild card, this album sounds like a group effort, rather than the work of a handful of musicians taking orders from one guy. Aug