Think these guys deserve a thread as they are my top artist on Last.fm by quite a margin (mostly accrued over a one-month GBV binge).
For those who have no idea who they are, GBV were yet another great band from Ohio who put out sh*tloads of albums and played sh*tloads of gigs between 1983 and 2004; fronted by former schoolteacher and garage rocker Robert Pollard.
Their music is basically idiosyncratic indie rock, and they are credited with defining the lo-fi aesthetic with their cheaply-recorded but deeply affecting records whilst having a reputation as a formidable live presence comparable to the Who in their prime.
Their finest period of the classic line-up (where they first gained real press attention) is generally thought to be the mid-90's with the albums
Alien Lanes and
Bee Thousand being hallmarks of (real) American indie rock music.
They achieved only limited commercial success (specifically with their latter-day major label single 'Teenage FBI') and their later albums resorted to a 'proper' studio sound that, whilst yielding some great songs IMO, lacked the intimate resonance of their earlier work that had intrigued so many people.
I think they are particularly noteworthy for a totally unpretentious, binge-drinking, chain-smoking attitude to make enjoyable 60's-inflected rock music.
