Hype moves in mysterious ways. Take the band Guided by Voices, for example. Although frothy fanatics such as myself have been touting GBV as the best rock 'n' roll band on the planet for years, our claims were often met with little more than a shrug. Therefore, please ignore the smug look on my face as media darlings The Strokes now sing GBV's praises -- even asking them to appear in their latest video. After 13 full-length albums, four live CDs, countless EPs and a myriad of side projects, it seems hype's lubricious light will finally shine on these indie lo-fi pioneers.

Actually, aside from a few regulars who float in and out of GBV's revolving door, the band is the work of one man -- an ex-schoolteacher turned beer-swilling bard, Bob Pollard. Pollard and company are known for hook-laden, two-minute song fragments recorded on basement eight-tracks. These hissy home recordings feature jangly, proto-punk freakouts, prog-rock anthems and jagged '60s pub jams, making the band sound like The Who, Pink Floyd, Husker Du and R.E.M. sewn together with no anesthesia.

After a recent two-album stint at TVT records ("Do the Collapse," "Isolation Drills"), GBV decided to trade in the gloss of larger-label studios and return to their old home at Matador, which offered more artistic control. A wise decision, since their best albums were on the indie ("Alien Lanes," "Under the Bushes, Under the Stars," "Mag Earwig"). Moreover, TVT seemed to see GBV only for their promising pop-rock potential. The resulting attempt at clean, slick production spackled over the cracks and crevices that gave GBV its sense of careless brilliance.