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Blender (from Maxim)
June/July 2001
Joe Gross

Guided By Voices
Isolation Drills   
TVT

Even more flawless melodies on the 8 millionth album from Dayton, Ohio's guitar pop heroes.

Robert Pollard, who is Guided By Voices, the same way Michael Jordan was the Bulls, is prolific. Justifiably famous in the indie circle, Pollard has released roughly an album a year of casual lo-fi power pop since 1987. On his second album for semi-major TVT (and his best in years), 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. And coming from a guy famous for having his own beer cooler on stage, "How's My Drinking?" is one cold-eyed, self-critique.