Guided By Voices

Many a bedroom-based songwriter has gone the 4-track-and-a-dream route after getting shot in the ear by the inspirational indie rock of Guided By Voices. And who can blame them after hearing the compressed pint-raising hooks of songs like "A Salty Salute," "Glad Girls," and the particularly buoyant "Echos Myron"?

Robert Pollard calls himself the captain of the good ship GBV. An apt alias, really, since he's been able to guide the group through arena-ready riff-rock ("Bulldog Skin"), distorted drum-machine laments ("My Valuable Hunting Knife"), and pop that's dirtier than a bag of organic, unprocessed potato chips ("Tractor Rape Chain").

Please don't leave the bar just because happy hour's over. The merriment and minor-chord catharsis must continue under the influence of 15 final GBV standards. "Psycho" strings slice through the menacing "Portable Men's Society," a dash of reverb and patient guitar chords beautify the lonely "Drinker's Peace," and "Sleep Over Jack" is stuck on a certain yellow submarine.

Guided By Voices have a catalog deeper than the depths of the Pacific Ocean (they have more boxed sets than most bands have albums!). So funneling their 20-year career into 45 fuzzy, flickering lo-fi classics is a welcome challenge. Herein lies the very root of what's amazing about the realms of indie rock and pop, from the Who and the Beatles to bands formed in college dorms. So turn that treble up and let the captain lead you on a fantastic voyage.