Built to Spill - You In Reverse

The first track, “Goin’ Against Your Mind” on Built To Spill’s newest release acts as a Coles Notes (editor’s note: apparently, this is Canadian for “Cliff’s Notes”) for the entire album. An eight minute introduction that, like a thesis, sets the pace for the rest of the work. All the elements are set into play; the mood -a hot porch or Idaho ranch, the protagonist - Neil Young, the themes - indie beards, guitar buzz and sprawling lyrics about time and space. This reads like a classic rock and roll album.

You In Reverse is titled much like the band itself, for they are stepping back into their Perfect From Now On days. Their latest albums, Keep It Like a Secret and Ancient Melodies of the Future, kept the hipsters hooked with their hook-filled, hasty power pop tracks. Don’t get me wrong: those albums were full of energy and tension made melodic, but on You In Reverse they get back down to their roots, which are firmly planted in the introspective ballads of Young and the tunes of Mascis from Dinasour Jr. You In Reverse allows some breathing room for a veteran like lead singer Doug Martsch (the bearded and sweatered fellow pictured above), who has released his own solo work. Tracks like “Conventional Wisdom,” make the hairs stand on the back of your neck. Then, like a final chapter in a good book, “The Wait,” will give you goose-bumps merited in the closure of a truly accomplished work.

The truth is, some listeners will migrate towards tracks like “Liar,” in hopes of finding that quick fix. But what others may find dragging is actually You in Reverse’s finest quality, that of guitar indulgence. Long winded guitar solos aren’t a waste of time - or space on your precious iPods. The organic nature of Martsch’s release is a tribute to classic rock and roll. All that You In Reverse is actually missing is the manufactured element so common in indie rock today. Martsch’s voice and guitar convey emotions in a way that no two minute jingle could. Because of this, the tracks are formulated in an unorthodox manner that leave religious hipsters praying for more.

Posted on May 1, 2006 12:00 AM