Pavement's relative breakthrough made lo-fi respectable, and it was enough of a fresh sound to the mainstream that home studio artists like Beck and Liz Phair became icons of sorts. The Mountain Goats took lo-fi to its logical conclusions in the mid-late 90's, recording much of their music on a boombox. In 2001, I Am The World Trade Center released a noteworthy lo-fi electronica album recorded entirely on a laptop computer.

Although the mainstream flirtation with lo-fi proved to be short-lived, lo-fi is here with us to stay. As long as there are musicians with no money, and recording equipment (or laptops) in their house, lo-fi will always be around. What The Fall, Pussy Galore, and most of all Pavement taught us is that the limitations of lo-fi itself become part of the musicians palette; thus, there will always be the consciously lo-fi. There are also far too many examples of the genre to include in a list of 10.

Which makes it a musical expression and mission, after all.

Some important/influential lo-fi bands include:

1. Pavement: Trigger Cut Wounded Kite at 17

The gritty, almost atonal guitars and Malkmus' laconic, Lou Reed-esque voice, and the band's fuzzy, slacker background vocals help define this fine example of the Pavement sound, from their groundbreaking Slanted and Enchanted. Light on bass, heavy on guitar crunch, punky and rootsy simultaneously, with the song structure turned halfway inside out, and a little riffing coda thrown in, this is an ambitious arrangement, recorded on a shoestring. Slanted and Enchanted ultimately stands as a watershed; it is one of the most influential albums of the 90's, and certainly Pavement's best moment. Pavement would continue to make albums of crackpot eclecticism throughout the 90's, never abandoning their lo-fi approach, even after they started generating some sales. They broke up in 1999.

2. Ween: Doctor Rock

Ween was formed in New Hope, PA in 1984 by Mickey Melchiondo and Aaron Freeman, both 14 at the time. Something of the comedians of four-track, the duo recorded witty, deconstructed rock music cut with satire, and humor that sometimes lapsed into tasteless. Their 26-track debut GodWeenSatan: The Oneness appeared in 1990 and featured fragmentary noodling of all stripes; many tracks clocked in at just over one minute. They upped themselves in the weirdness factor with their sophomore effort, The Pod, recorded under the influence of Scotchguard and a bad case of mononucleosis the pair came down with. Dark and moldy sounding in places, detached and distant in others, this established Ween as among the more outre of the lo-fi bands of the early 90's. "Doctor Rock" has a psychotronic garage band feel to it, and ranks among their early classics.