Self-Inflicted Aerial Nostalgia is the first Guided by Voices album to sound like a Guided by Voices album. For the first time, the band can be heard using low-fi production to their advantage, such as on the opening track, "The Future Is in Eggs," on which Pollard's vocals are blurred like a distorted instrument to complement the track's bleary mood. The improvement in Pollard's melodies here is revelatory, and he and the band move beyond their influences, crafting a blueprint of the signature sound that they would develop to increasingly greater success throughout much of the following decade. Highlights include "The Great Blake St. Canoe Race," the melancholy, harmony-laden "Paper Girl" and the tremolo-heavy ballad, "Liar's Tale." -AMG
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