4 out of 4 rating

I'm afraid traditional notions of journalistic objectivity don't apply here. I used to play in this band, so my opinion regarding the (masterful) songwriterly output of Dayton, OH's Robert Pollard et al is hopelessly compromised. Such cavils aside, the band's umpteenth release is a fantastic record, possibly GBV's best. Produced by ex-Car Ric Ocasek, Collapse is as guitar-centric Big Rock as Cheap Trick's debut, but with better more twisted songs. "Hold On Hope", one of Pollard's most straightforward songs ever, is Nilsson's "Everybody's Talking" for the new millennium.