by Aidan Turowski
Daily Lobo
It's been five years since Built to Spill released an album and three years since the band went on tour, but You in Reverse is Doug Martsch and his band's best release yet.
At least that's what I hear. Having never heard this band before, I'm not one to compare this with the band's previous works. But I like what I hear.
While it's everything I've come to expect from the typical indie-rock stereotype - a little bit of emo, a few abstract guitar rhythms and a whiney lead singer - I found myself unknowingly nodding my head to the soothing, if not sometimes haunting melodies of this album while going about my day-to-day activities.
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Each song is well-edited, seamlessly blending into its successor with smooth, elegant transitions, sometimes making it difficult to tell when one song ends and the other begins.
This leads me to believe that You in Reverse is some of the best background music I've ever heard. It's not something worth seeing in concert, but it's something to play on a lazy Sunday afternoon when you can't leave the sofa.
The album plays as if you were sitting in a garage, listening to band members create the songs as they go along, enticing one to occasionally call out what works and what doesn't.
If anything can be said about Built to Spill, it's that the five years between albums was spent well. Lengthy guitar solos and extended drum riffs give the impression this band had nowhere better to be at the time. This isn't necessarily a bad thing. It just means each song tends to drag on, sometimes a little longer than needed.
You in Reverse starts off with "Going Against My Mind," a strong, energetic, uplifting beat that sets the bar for the rest of the album. This is fortunate because the rest of the songs don't quite reach that bar, but at least it takes you through the rest of the album with an open mind.
The song "Conventional Wisdom" picks up the slack where previous songs left off, adding the perfect blend of harmony and speed that could motivate even the most socially insecure indie teenager to get up and dance.
Built to Spill dives into a darker, edgier tone with "Mess with Time," giving the album its second wind, once more alerting you to its presence. What starts out with a repetitive hammering of guitar strings quickly blends into an impressive, lengthy solo, ending in a catchy, fast-paced riff that confirms the strength of Built to Spill's guitar prowess.
Fans of Built to Spill will no doubt rejoice at its successful return, and new listeners can find an album to help them pass the time while they lay about on a Sunday afternoon.
You in Reverse
Built to Spill
Grade: B+
