Built to Spill - You In Reverse

Innovative Idaho-based band Built to Spill revisit their status at the vanguard of indie rock with their first album since 2001’s Ancient Melodies of the Future. Longtime fans of the band should consider this record a worthy reward after their extended wait for new material. You in Reverse is an energetic collection of ten songs highlighted by sprawling guitars, Doug Martsch’s uniquely spacey vocals and an infectious, freewheeling attitude that permeates each of the album’s tracks. Early in the record’s development, it becomes very clear that excursions of an instrumental nature are to play a prominent role. “Goin’ Against Your Mind” opens the proceedings with a prolonged guitar intro that sets the tone for much of what is to follow. Though some listeners may bristle at the band’s attempt to pass the seemingly needless repetition of the title phrase off as a chorus, the song’s instrumental sections sparkle with energy. Similarly, tracks like “Wherever You Go”, “Mess with Time”, and “Conventional Wisdom” feature extended instrumental passages that amble and meander yet avoid feeling extraneous. Were You in Reverse simply an excuse to package and release an unrelated cluster of guitar solos, one might question the band’s creative wisdom. Fortunately, the album features several more tightly constructed tracks that make the free-form nature of others all the more stimulating. “Traces”, for example, is driven just as much drum and bass as by guitar. “Saturday” is a brisk and tempered cut that speaks to Neil Young’s influence on Martsch as a vocalist while tracks like “Liar” and “Just a Habit” allow the band to experiment with mellow moods. You in Reverse is not an album that will appeal to those wishing to listen to it casually. However, for the devoted BTS fan or the newcomer willing to allow the band latitude as they play their way loosely through a variety of textures and structures, the album proves a rather refreshing experience. [www.builttospill.com]