Led by lead singer and songwriter Robert Pollard, Guided by Voices were one of the most celebrated and prolific indie rock bands of the '90s and 2000s, breaking through to discerning critics and underground rock fans with the 1994 album
Bee Thousand, and continuing through ten years of recordings and live work until they broke up following the release of 2004's
Half Smiles of the Decomposed. In 2010, GVB reunited for a handful of live shows that soon grew into a second run for the band, and they recorded six more albums before calling it a day again in 2014. With
Suitcase 4: Captain Kangaroo Won the War, Pollard offers an alternate look at the history of Guided by Voices, featuring one hundred tracks over four discs that include outtakes and alternate versions of songs from the albums
Propeller (1992),
Vampire on Titus (1993),
Bee Thousand (1994),
Alien Lanes (1995),
Isolation Drills (2001), and
Earthquake Glue (2003), as well as the reunion effort Class Clown Spots a UFO (2012). The set also includes a wealth of unreleased demos and previously unheard songs, as well as rough drafts of several tunes from Pollard's upcoming solo effort Of Course You Are. ~ Mark Deming