eMusic Review
After the GbVerde fiasco, Pollard assembled a new band and tried to take it to the next level. As is often the case when indie bands get the major label treatment, GbV's foray into the big-time failed to win them many new fans, and turned off some of their old ones. That's too bad, because Do the Collapse is one of the band's best. Producer Ric Ocasek beefs up the sound, and adds some of those puzzling dinky-doink sounds (keyboards, extra percussion, etc.) that radio-ready rock is apparently supposed to have, but for the most part his shining extra light on Pollard's songs makes them glitter rather than shrink from the glare. Even the power-ballad “Hold On Hope,” a blatant attempt to sell out that was derided by fans and disowned by Pollard, has a certain charm. In a different era, Do the Collapse would have burned up the radio dial and won GbV first-class tickets to Budokan.
