In the music spotlight: Guided By Voices

On December 31, 2004, Guided By Voices packed the Metro for a sweaty and boozy rock ‘n’ roll show that featured more than 60 songs and ran well past 3 a.m. on New Year’s Day. The sprawling show was filmed for DVD release as “The Electrifying Conclusion,” the final testament of a great, ramshackle band that blended the traditions of acts including the Who and the Replacements.

Retirement didn’t stick. Give the band credit, though. They tried more than once. High-kicking frontman and stunningly prolific songwriter Robert Pollard continued to pursue solo projects until reforming Guided By Voices in 2010. After releasing another five GBV albums, the band split again in fall 2014. This particular breakup more closely resembled a long nap. The reignited band has been active since early 2016, with key former members including guitarist Doug Gillard and drummer Kevin March.

In April, Guided By Voices released Pollard’s hundredth album, the double-length set “August by Cake” featuring the urgent and compact “Hiking Skin.” As evidence of the caffeine running through band members’ veins, however, GBV’s Chicago dates this weekend are actually promoting a newer release. “How Do You Spell Heaven” with the rumbling waltz “Just to Show You” arrives August 11.

With literally thousands of songs to choose from, Pollard has crafted a number of sparkling gems that would have been chart-topping contenders in the right eras. Straddling the new millennium, the yearning ballad “Hold on Hope” and stomping Brit-pop of “Glad Girls” found the band skirting mainstream awareness. Recent fare like the jangling, Byrds-influenced “All of This Will Go” and thundering, horn-spiked glam-rock of “5 Degrees on the Inside” find the band as devil-may-care and adventurous as ever.

For rock fans who like their music ADHD-fresh, and who appreciate the approach of reckless underdogs that perpetually court disaster and turn it into cathartic art on stage, the answer to the question posed by the band’s newest album is clear. “How Do You Spell Heaven?” Autocorrect should accept the initials G-B-V.

* Guided By Voices, July 28, Beat Kitchen, 2100 W. Belmont. SOLD OUT; 8:30 p.m. July 29, Wicker Park Fest, Lagunitas Stage, Damen & North. Tickets $10; wickerparkbucktown.com.

Jeff Elbel is a local freelance writer.