DeViCom CD-Review: Guided by Voices - Universal Truths and Cycles

If you summarize Long Distance's sound first of all then you have to say that it offers more production highlights and tricks plus the sound is clearer. But unfortunately, Long Dinstance does not present the melodic and highly approachable song of its predeccesor Apartment Life. And also the album's trip-hop beats and arrangments are dated and cannot deal with today's standard - nothing wrong with that but Ivy's style reminds too much of further interprets like Morcheeba. Of course the album sets somehighlights like the slinky "Disappointed" or the distorted guitars appearing on "Blame It on Yourself". But at the same time the LP presents too many lush songs like "Lucy Doesn't Love You", offering a bass motive and melody that cannot convince you of Ivy's real strength.
All in all the album is not that bad but Ivy disaim their own real strengths.