Soundbites: Built to Spill ““ "You in Reverse"

Built to Spill has been in hiatus since its last release in
2001, at work on arguably its most serious compositional work yet,
“You in Reverse.”

Singer/guitarist Doug Martsch takes a guitar-heavy path on this
album, his voice muted and musical abstractions asked to speak for
themselves with tiny sparks of illumination by the words.

“You in Reverse” is more abstract than past
material, demanding more from the listener than Built to Spill ever
has. Though it’s difficult to live up to its finest and first
major label album “Perfect from Now On,” “You in
Reverse” manages to scale up to epic standards.

The album opens with the racing “Goin’ Against Your
Mind,” an overwhelming guitar explosion clocking in at just
under 9 minutes, drawing the curtains for high epic disclosure.

Most of the songs on “You in Reverse” are
heart-wrenchingly poppy, with the exception of
“Traces,” a spiraling andante guitar work. “Just
A Habit” is slow, sweet and just right. “The
Wait” is an echoing lyrical ramble laid bare amid acoustic
guitar work.

“You in Reverse” is complex, and compositionally
flawless. It’s a genuine and concentrated effort from its
members to keep it up this late in the game, and on the
band’s sixth LP, Built to Spill continues to deliver.

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