For Those With Short Attention Spans

I've recently discovered Guided By Voices and fallen somewhat in love, or maybe lust; they haven't past the test of longevity yet. Their short, punchy and fragmented songs lodge instantly in the memory. The album Alien Lanes is what i'm currently immersing myself in, whose twenty eight songs weigh in under fifty minutes. This gives one some idea of the manic and frenetic energy the band possess.
                I cant claim to be familar with their oeuvre as a whole (any GBV experts out there?), but this album is awesome. They've got a punky garage rock aesthetic going on but with enough catchy pop hooks to make for a fantastic overall effect.One minute they sound like The Kinks, the next The White Stripes then like nothing I've ever heard before. The album grabs you by the throat and doesn't let go, shambolic but brilliant; great songs fly by at lightning speed. Where lesser bands would drag out and milk these songs GBV treat each offering almost like a cast off, never lingering or applying any polish to their efforts. The end result is kind of intoxicating. Indeed, i reckon they'd sound great drunk, and it would'nt surprise me if the majority of the album was conceived under the influence. Try the GBV drinking game and see if you survive!

Try this for size, its about as polished and linear as things get on  Alien Lanes.