Portland's Wilmette Weak - 3/28/01

Guided By Voices
Isolation Drills
TVT Records

To anyone who thought Guided By Voices'
"meteoric" rise from an underground sensation of
obscure lyrics and shattered British Invasion tactics to
one of the most dynamic performance bands of the late
'90s indie circuit was over, think again. On Isolation
Drills, Commander Bob Pollard guides his vise-tight
crew through familiar GBV air space: flowery mod
pop, '70s hard-rock theater, the odd bit of sound
fuckery. 

Then, with the production talents of Rob Schnapf
(Elliott Smith, Beck, Foo Fighters), the whole squad
locks in on a wild blue yonder of epic (untrademarked)
freedom rock. "Glad Girls," with its undeniable hook
and self-satisfied chorus of "Glad girls, I only
want to get you high," is a sure bet to be the big hit.
I'm also liking the romantic confusion of "Skills Like This"
and the quiet, fatalistic acknowledgement of "How's
My Drinking." You want a band that can save the
radio? Well, do you? (SDS)

Guided By Voices plays at Crystal Ballroom
on Friday, May 30. 9 pm. $10. All ages.