Isolation Drills
by Guided by Voices
  • Record Label: TVT
  • Release Date: Apr 3, 2001
Metascore
83

Universal acclaim - based on 15 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 14 out of 15
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 15
  3. Negative: 0 out of 15
  1. PopMatters
    90
    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.
  2. Splendid
    90
    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.
  3. Magnet
    90
    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]
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  5. The A.V. Club
    90
    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.
  6. CDNow
    80
    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...
  7. Nude As The News
    80
    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.
  8. Rolling Stone
    80
    Isolation Drills makes the case more persuasively than ever that these indie-pop godfathers should matter to more than just the loyalists.
  9. AllMusic
    80
    Isolation Drills sounds like the real rock album GBV have always wanted to make...
  10. Sonicnet
    80
    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.
  11. Neumu.net
    80
    Yes, it's fun rockin' pop. But, unlike a lot of today's pop music, Guided By Voices keep their depth.
  12. Pitchfork
    73
    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.
  13. Wall of Sound
    71
    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.
  14. Ink Blot Magazine
    70
    If anyone's making radio-worthy rock 'n' roll nowadays, it's Guided By Voices.
  15. Spin
    70
    Isolation Drills' anthems are shamelessly charming, even bashfully moving. [June 2001, p.153]
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Awards & Rankings

27
#27 Best Album of 2001

User Reviews

All reviews »
User Score
8.5

Universal acclaim- based on 10 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 8 out of 10
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 10
  3. Negative: 0 out of 10
  1. RichBlack
    May 25, 2011
    7
    Isolation Drills was kinda one of those albums we forget about later on, but remembering it again sure is good. some of the songs were boring,Isolation Drills was kinda one of those albums we forget about later on, but remembering it again sure is good. some of the songs were boring, but most of them bring back what we love about GBV.… Full Review »
  2. Hugeonpluto
    Jan 21, 2021
    10
    Not only Guided by Voices greatest album, it's one of the best albums ever. Period.
  3. Oscar-1823
    Apr 6, 2018
    6
    Isolation Drills is a greatly overrated album, however it does contain a few decent tracks such as: chasing heather crazy, glad girls,Isolation Drills is a greatly overrated album, however it does contain a few decent tracks such as: chasing heather crazy, glad girls, frostman with most of the other tracks on this album being mediocre and filler. Certainly not one of their best albums and sits quite comfortably alongside the previously loathed album Do The Collapse. Nevertheless, a starting point for new fans of the band that are more inclined to mainstream hi-fi music.… Full Review »
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