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Robert Pollard Is Off To Business
by Robert Pollard


9.2

based on 11 reviews
Read critic reviews
How did we calculate this?

based on 4 votes
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Official Artist Site

The ex-Guided By Voices singer releases his latest solo outing on his own label.

LABEL:	Guided By Voices
RELEASE DATE:	10 June 2008
DISCS:	1 disc
GENRE(S):	Rock, Indie

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...

The Phoenix

Pollard has long been in the business of writing songs, but here he seems invigorated; and for the first time in a long while, his business is mixed with pleasure.

Uncut

Pollard fleshes out his vaguely familiar melodies with inventive, unpredictably expansive arrangements. [July 2008, p.108]

Alternative Press

Robert Pollard breaks with several of his own traditions--fewer songs (only 10), and of those, eight break the 2-and-a-half-minute barrier. [Aug 2008, p.163]

All Music Guide

Off to Business doesn't break much new ground for Pollard, but what is different is that he's clearly put a great deal more thought and care into this disc than anything he's put out since From a Compound Eye, and the result is an album that sounds like an album rather than the latest bunch of tunes Pollard banged together, and that makes all the difference in the world.

Under The Radar

Off to Business will please fans and even bring in some new ones. [Summer 2008, p.84]

PopMatters

Robert Pollard Is Off to Business is a great return to form for Pollard. It has songs just as strong as anything on his Merge releases, but by living in these songs a little longer, this album feels more rooted and permanent than, for example, "Standard Gargoyle Decisions."

Spin

Despite the invocation of those crusty legends [Guided by Voices], Business is no lo-fi throwback.

Pitchfork

Although Business ultimately ranks as yet another less-than-legendary offering from a living indie legend, its shortcomings are much more nuanced than typical Pollard releases.

Prefix Magazine

On Off to Business, he accomplishes another step toward canonization, making a late-period album that removes any semblance of what made him great in the first place and is a largely uninspired trip down memory lane.

Dusted Magazine

His voice is a delightful constant through good writing and bad. The propeller-arms guitar rock supplied by Pollard's various flesh-and-blood bandmates tend to provide just-off-enough accompaniment, but Tobias mucks it all up.

Tiny Mix Tapes

Off to Business--released eponymously by Guided By Voices, Inc.--is the ultimate product of this trend: an album full of ebullient mid-tempo rockers, ebullient pretty guitar parts, and ebullient power drum fills.

The average user rating for this album is 9.2 (out of 10) based on 4 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Dan J. gave it a10:
Top to bottom greatness.

Ben J. gave it a9:
Bob continues to follow his muse and produces another record for fans to dig into. There's some fine, fine stuff here and the album works as a tight and cohesive whole. There's a really epic vibe to most of the tracks and Bob voice is in great form. Some of the critical reviews posted here are complete claptrap, shame they have to count in the average score as most serious critical appraisals have recognized this record for what it is.

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Robert Pollard Is Off To Business by Robert Pollard

Robert Pollard Is Off To Business
by Robert Pollard