Warner Bros / Wea
2006
You In Reverse
About This Album
Built to Spill haven't released an album for five years, and the time off seems to have rejuvenated the band -- You in Reverse is full of fire and energy. The bandmembers play with a thrilling blend of abandon and sensitivity on this mix of accessible guitar rockers, twisting and turning guitar workouts, and somber balladry with enough intelligence and emotion to put groups half their age to shame (and by the looks of the gray in their beards, they are getting up there). Many of the songs on You in Reverse are midtempo ballads, some quiet and autumnal ("Traces"), most trippy and bursting with wild and dramatic guitar solos ("The Wait," "Gone"). All of them are quite heart-rending, with Doug Martsch's melancholy everyman vocals and the emotion (in his voice but especially in the guitars) flowing like tears from the speakers. Most of the tracks also feature spiraling guitar solos and climaxes that conjure up images of the bandmembers on-stage at an outdoor stadium jamming their beards off as the crowd goes bananas. These songs are impressive, but the album really shines on the tracks that boost the tempo. "Conventional Wisdom" is a raging rocker that rides an inspired guitar melody into alt-rock guitar nirvana, sounding like the best tune Dinosaur Jr.
Track List (try tracks 1,3,5 and 10)

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