You In Reverse

Author: Built To Spill

Release Date: 11-04-2006

Details: Amazon.caIt took Doug Martsch five years to complete this album so what’s another two minutes? That’s precisely how long it takes to sit through a nail-biting instrumental intro before the singer chimes in and you realize that, whew!, he still has it. The quirky, Idaho-born indie-rock group’s first album since 2001’s Ancient Melodies of the Future, is positively radiant. The meandering melodies have been reigned in but the songs still don’t feel like they’re rushing to get anywhere, even on the double-paced “Conventional Wisdom.” On tracks such as “Liar” and “The Wait” the spacey guitar solos are tempered by sweet touches of slide guitar and a back porch rhythm. Meanwhile, there’s a definite Neil Young influence creeping through “Wherever You Go” and “Gone,” which makes the band that was weird enough to inspire Modest Mouse weirder than ever. –Aidin Vaziri