Guided By Voices — Isolation Drills

Isolation Drills

TVT

Chris Burland (CHARTattack)

04/03/2001 2:07pm

Don't hate me for being an elitist music critic! I've been through the roller-coaster ride of Guided By Voices' Robert Pollard since GBV's Bee Thousand was released in '92. Though the early material sounded like it was recorded in a phone booth, there was a twisted lyrical charm in Pollard's material in the early days. Things changed when egomaniac Pollard decided to rid himself of his Dayton roots, by recording with most of "glam-rockers," Cobra Verde, then getting the "opportunity" to play for the "Big Boys" at TVT. Access to good recording facilities seems to have curbed Bob's eccentric tendencies from early GBV material... as has the major label business influence. Not all here is troubled, but the best material focuses on the non-"goats horn" material like "Chasing Heather Crazy," "Twilight Campfighter" and "Glad Girls." Of course, you gotta put this comparison in perspective. This GVB album is better than the majority of like-minded commecial trash on sold in the name of rock 'n roll.

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