All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

PopMatters

From sparse DIY fragments to string-enhanced ballads and well-wrought pop, the material on Isolation Drills is as diverse as it is consistently compelling.

Read Full Review >

Splendid

The group has created an album filled not only with the timeless pop hooks you have come to expect but with the anthemic swagger that is the hallmark of many of the great rock recordings of the last 30 years.

Read Full Review >

Magnet

One of the band's best.... While 1999's Ric Ocasek-produced Do The Collapse was criticized by some for its thick, pop-radio gloss, Isolation Drills shows more restraint, reconciling Pollard's idiosyncrasies with the track-to-track consistency great rock albums demand. [#49, p.75]

The Onion (A.V. Club)

From GBV's earliest days, Pollard has displayed, in almost equal measure, a talent for catchy melodies and for daring eccentricity, with his best songs balancing the two instincts. That dynamic pervades Isolation Drills, with the tension producing some of the most instantly enjoyable songs of Pollard's career while maintaining a strong sense of experimentation.

Read Full Review >

Neumu.net

Yes, it's fun rockin' pop. But, unlike a lot of today's pop music, Guided By Voices keep their depth.

Read Full Review >

CDNow

Isolation Drills may not match Bee Thousand's magical, mystical tone (not many records can), but it's as melodic and powerful as the best of GBV's vast catalog. It also firmly cements Pollard's reputation as one of rock's all-time greats...

Read Full Review >

Nude As The News

Guided By Voices sound more assured than ever before, reflecting on the travails of life in a rock’n’roll band with uncommon honesty and power.

Read Full Review >

Rolling Stone

Isolation Drills makes the case more persuasively than ever that these indie-pop godfathers should matter to more than just the loyalists.

Read Full Review >

All Music Guide

Isolation Drills sounds like the real rock album GBV have always wanted to make...

Read Full Review >

Sonicnet

Ditching lo-fi aesthetics for a more radio-ready sound in the spirit of, say, the Raspberries or Badfinger, Pollard has wisely chosen not bury his songs in oblique lyrical references and muddy tape hiss.

Read Full Review >

Pitchfork

A solid, riff-driven rock record that may disappoint those still awaiting Bee Thousand II, though it offers plenty of treats to those who are willing to approach it with open ears.

Read Full Review >

Wall of Sound

Another surprisingly coherent and substantial power pop record with solid hooks and memorable songs, another dazzling combination of Anglo-pop melody, arena rock chord changes, and DIY aesthetic.

Read Full Review >

Spin

Isolation Drills' anthems are shamelessly charming, even bashfully moving. [June 2001, p.153]

Ink Blot Magazine

If anyone's making radio-worthy rock 'n' roll nowadays, it's Guided By Voices.

Read Full Review >

Blender

His Who-tastic riffs remain belligerent and plentiful, but Pollard sounds grimmer, as if the former grade-school teacher suddenly realizes that touring in a van past age 40 isn't as much fun as he expected. [Jun/Jul 2001, p.111]

What Our Users Said

The average user rating for this album is 7.3 (out of 10) based on 6 User Votes

Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

DJ B gave it an8:
Critics and fans agree THIS ALBUM ROCKS!!! Naysayers BEWARE: This album/group by comparison is more fresh and alive then practically everything else out there. Long Live GBV!!! R.I.P.

Eamonn H. gave it a 4:
Weak. Sounds like a tired Cheap Trick.

David J. gave it a 10:
GBV rock. That's all I have to say.

Ryan gave it a 4:
Average album with most of the songs blurring together as if the album were simply one long song.

Irwin F. gave it a 9:
Longer, more radio-friendly songs than GbV usually delivers... but five or six of these tracks are as good as anything they've ever put out, and most of the rest is rock solid.

Music

Upcoming &Recent Releases

Isolation Drills

Album Info

Summary

Also On Metacritic

What The Critics Said

What Our Users Said

Upcoming &
Recent Releases