@bslon i've always thought badfinger's "ass" was a curious record since resident genius pete ham only wrote two of the songs, though the rest is pretty memorable.
in any case, i've been listening to "balloon balloon balloon," by sharp pins, who seems to be a young kid with a guitar and a guided by voices fixation. he sounds too hyperactive to actually finish most of these songs, but he's definitely a melodic savant and this is worth hearing. also the dBs "stands for decibels"--my understanding is that this wasn't even released on a US label, but it really is one of the best debuts ever--much closer to the the baroque sophisto pop of left banke or love than the byrdsy/beatles jangle of contemporaries like rem.