Editing Guided by Voices (section)

=== Later years (2002–2004) ===

After departing from TVT in 2002, Guided by Voices returned to Matador and released ''[[Universal Truths and Cycles]]'', a departure from the previous two radio-aspiring albums, and a return to the band's mid-90s, mid-fi aesthetic. ''Universal Truths'' producer [[Todd Tobias]] would also record the band's final two albums for Matador. 2003 saw the release of the prog-styled ''[[Earthquake Glue]]'', followed by the anthology box set ''[[Hardcore UFOs: Revelations, Epiphanies and Fast Food in the Western Hemisphere]]'' and the [[greatest hits]] compilation ''[[Best of Guided by Voices: Human Amusements at Hourly Rates]]''.

In 2004, Pollard announced he was disbanding Guided by Voices<ref>{{cite web |url=http://gbv.com/2004gbvannouncement.htm |title=Special Announcement From Guided By Voices |publisher=Gbv.com |access-date=November 17, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120315062433/http://gbv.com/2004gbvannouncement.htm |archive-date=March 15, 2012 }}</ref> following the release of the ''[[Half Smiles of the Decomposed]]'' LP, and a final farewell tour. Pollard stated:

:"This feels like the last album for Guided by Voices. I've always said that when I make a record that I'm totally satisfied with as befitting a final album, then that will be it. And this is it."

On November 9, 2004, Guided by Voices performed on the stage of [[Austin City Limits]], broadcast by [[PBS]] on January 22, 2005. Their last television appearance was on ''[[Late Night with Conan O'Brien]]'' on December 2, 2004. They played the single, "Everybody Thinks I'm a Raincloud (When I'm Not Looking)".  After a select round of final US shows, Guided by Voices played their final show at The Metro in Chicago on December 31, 2004.  The four-hour, 63-song marathon finale is documented on the DVD ''The Electrifying Conclusion''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://gbvdb.com/album.asp?albumid=2184 |title=The Electrifying Conclusion |publisher=Gbvdb.com |date=January 15, 1994 |access-date=November 17, 2012}}</ref>