Guided By Voices/Robert Pollard

I'm not sure if anyone here is a fan, but I thought it might be interesting to bring them up.

In the 90s they were sort of the kings of the indie/lo-fi scene, but R. Pollard says he's always traced his musical lineage through prog and the British Invasion than through the predictable punk influences. Even though their early music is by no means prog in the technical sense, you can definitely support Pollard's claim that Genesis is his favorite band through the lyrical themes, winding melodies, and odd juxtapositions. Their earliest music I could probably describe as a band into the DIY deconstruction tendencies of the Velvets playing a sort of economic, left-field tribute of prog, with melodic sense borrowed from The Beatles and The Kinks. On later albums, when the production and musicianship improved, the prog influences were even more apparent, with multi-part songs and keyboards (which have now become a trademark of Pollard's post-GBV solo career).

For the early surrealist stuff, see Bee Thousand and Alien Lanes.
For the later period, Mag Earwhig! (a concept about the title character, who is some kind of insect on a spiritual journey) and Earthquake Glue.

Pollard's proggiest material are the solo albums Silverfish Trivia and From A Compound Eye.

Pollard has also stated in a few interviews that he was/is a big Van der Graaf Generator fan. Interesting that Peter Hammill is playing here in Chicago on Tues, Oct 7 and that Pollard is playing here the night before on Mon, Oct 6.