Pop Music Reviews : Guided by Voices Shows Off Its Trademark Lo-Fi Charm

Oddly enough, Guided by Voices’ minimalist approach to music is based on one of the same principles that guides such maximalist technological sophisticates as Nine Inch Nails: A stylized sound is worthless unless it’s grounded in solid songwriting.

Of course, GBV’s songs are often simply sonic sketches--a hook and an idea outlined on a four-track recorder--and the Ohio quintet revels in its scruffy, lo-fi charm, but the sturdy pop underpinnings of each composition is what keeps the music on track. Proof lies in live performance.

Thursday, in the asphyxiating confines of a sold-out Troubadour, the pop essence of GBV’s songs gleamed in all its melodious glory--without the homemade, tape-hiss-toned patina of their recordings. Both the sweeter, gentler moments (“Echos Myron”) and the noisier, disjointed stretches (“Break Even”) unfolded with the timeless effervescence of the best pop. The band diligently squeezed some 30 songs into a 90-minute set, and then whipped through another 10 tunes in two encore appearances. Miraculously, it never seemed rushed, with each song, no matter how small, getting the attention it deserved.

Certainly GBV doesn’t provide the spectacle of NIN--the group’s low-key look is as integral to its identity as the lo-fi records and high-energy concerts. Yet Thursday’s show proved conclusively that this music, too, can flourish outside of its studio context.