Built To Spill: There Is No Enemy (2009)

New Wax


Indie-rock stalwarts Built To Spill have never put out a terrible album, but lead singer/guitarist Doug Martsch and company haven't quite recaptured the magic of 1999's classic Keep It Like A Secret. Sometimes when a band has a signature sound, their albums start to sound a bit samey and predictable, and Built To Spill's 2006 effort You In Reverse sounded like a band noodling about in over-stomped territory. While the band's newest release There Is No Enemy doesn't digress much sonically, it qualifies as a surprising return to form. Strangely, it's Martsch's lyrics, which he's always downplayed, that make the new album so good. Sure, Martsch's impressive repertoire of kaleidoscope riffage is still on display, but songs like "Life's A Dream" and "Nowhere Lullaby" dial it down and show the band in a more intimate light. Over the steady-tempo of "Life's A Dream," Martsch sounds wise and worn: "Waste your life/ but you don't know what it's worth/ Comb your mind/ For all the treasures of this earth/ Too close to find/ anything outside yourself." When he sings "Goddammit, things fall apart" on the aptly titled "Things Fall Apart," Martsch has never sounded so candid. It's this personal feel of There Is No Enemy that makes it one of the band's more notable releases to date. Oh, and the guitars are fucking awesome. -- Capt. Obvious

Listen:
MP3: Built To Spill - Aisle 13
MP3: Built To Spill - Hindsight

Tags: Built To Spill, There Is No Enemy