One of the most interesting stories of rock in the '90s was that of an Ohio schoolteacher, his scrappy beer-bellied band and their art-damaged, post-punk take on British Invasion rock.

Now, the band is calling it quits, though lead singer/songwriter Robert Pollard will continue to record solo. The final GBV record isn't quite the extended, theatrical bow that could have been taken, but perhaps that's good in the long run. Abstract tunes like "Sleep Over Jack" are among the band's strangest ever, but are balanced by the regal "Girls of Wild Strawberries," with its Kinks-inspired rhythm, and the structured "Windows of the World" and "(S)mothering and Mothering," which both switch from bucolic folk to heavy prog.

Uptempo power numbers "Gonna Never Have to Die" and "The Closets of Henry" are deftly executed; the latter, like many a GBV classic, ends too soon. But tunes like "Tour Guide at the Winston Churchill Memorial" come off like a low-rent Yes, while "Sons of Apollo" is marred by a tedious preacher sound-bite sample.

Wondering whether the band goes out with a whimper or a bang? GBV's recorded history ends with Pollard singing "for far too long" on the straightforward indie rock of "Huffman Prairie Flying Field," pleasantly though slightly hoarse and deliberately off-key. Fini?