Hasn’t the world declared alternative rock dead? Not according to Built To Spill. From behind the stinging guitar and brushed snare comes their latest musical composition, Keep It Like A Secret. Singer/guitarist Doug Martsch isn’t concerned about whether this album falls into the pop or alternative categories; his only goal is in making a musical vision come to fruition. Objective accomplished.
Built To Spill plays music that doesn’t fit any one classification. Martsch’s layered guitar solos display his unusual squelching busyness. On the surface the sounds seems disorganized and trite, but if you listen closely you’ll notice that Martsch has complete control over the intense movements.
It’s all in the verses.
His rambled dreaminess provides the framework for Built To Spill’s latest composition. Through soft vocal twists and ingenious story lines, Martsch purges his soul.
“Center Of The Universe” is too Weezer for even Weezer, but has a peculiar quirkiness that is pleasing in its obscurity. “Sidewalk” marches along the unbeaten path of buzzing sonic bliss. While “Bad Light” opens with a blaring repeated riff that shines throughout the song’s chorus, “Broken Chair” is Martsch’s chance to revisit his love for jamming. The solos are lush, but lean, paying homage to Seattle’s passing musical fossils.
“You Were Right” is a walk through a rock lexicon of song titles from the world’s biggest bands: Pink Floyd, Hendrix, Dylan, The Rolling Stones, and Bob Segar. “You were wrong when you said everything is going to be alright/ You were right when you said all that glitters isn’t gold/ You were right when you said all we are is dust in the wind/ You were right when you said we’re all just bricks in the wall/ And when you said manic depression’s a frustrated mess/ You were right when you said you can’t always get what you want/ You were right when you said we are still running against the wind/ Life goes on long after the thrill of living is gone/ You were right when you said/ This is the end.”
+ rae gun
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.