9. Half Smiles Of The Decomposed (2004)

History has been kind to Half Smiles Of The Decomposed, the last album released before the group disbanded for six years. At the time, the Guided By Voices sound was becoming further and further removed from the tastes of indie rock fans who wanted to dance, not pump their fists to 40-something rock and rollers. But while the kids were trying to shake their heels to younger bands, Guided By Voices had quietly perfected its songcraft. Pollard’s confidence in form and execution resulted in an album without showiness or sensationalism, but that doesn’t stop these 14 tracks from infiltrating the listener’s brain and staying there, even 10 years later in some cases. Songs like “Window Of My World,” “Girls Of Wild Strawberries,” and “Asia Minor” sound familiar in the best way possible, as if we’ve heard them a thousand times before. If Half Smiles Of The Decomposed had been Guided By Voices’ final album, its maturity would have been a fitting swan song. But of course, ending it all like that would be too predictable, and so Guided By Voices returned last year in all its immature shit-kicking glory.