Built to Spill – There is No Enemy

The first Built to Spill album in three years will come as quite a surprise to fans of the group. This may be the most clear and concise sounding record of the band’s entire career, and that is actually a good thing.

The Boise, Idaho band built a strong following in the American Indie Rock scene of the 1990s by creating records that sounded equal parts Neil Young and Dinosaur Jr. With their new album, There is No Enemy, the band shows some of their most mature songwriting to date. This album isn’t so much Rust Never Sleeps as it is Harvest and Harvest Moon.

The record starts off with a sonic punch to your sternum. After some synthesizer manipulation, Built to Spill launch into a J Mascis-esque freak-out with “Aisle 13”. Doug Martsch and co. screech through shredding solos and riffs that sound so easy you wish you thought of them first.

The song also features the lyrical prominence of the theme of mental health, a topic the band (and The Gazette) has dealt with before.

“No one can see because no one wants to, see what’s in their mind,” warbles Martsch in his characteristic doubled vocals that are a signature of the band and the Portland, Oregon scene that helped birth them.

After the first song the album takes on an entirely new focus as it switches to country riffs and acoustic songwriting that is becoming the band’s forte as they get older. “Good ol’ Boredom”, “Life’s a Dream” and “Planting Seeds” evoke pastoral textures sonically and lyrically. The closest comparison would be that of The Weakerthans roots rock and Iron and Wine.

For long time fans of Built to Spill, this record will have mixed feelings for a lot of listeners. No track on this album really captures the same kind of sound or feeling from past hits like “Carry the Zero” and “Broken Chairs”. But in the end, that’s alright. With most of the band reaching its early forties, this album gives off a more calmed down vibe.

Sure, you won’t find any 20-minute long forays in Crazy Horse style guitar wizardry, but what this album delivers is the progression of a band that has shaped the indie rock climate for nearly two decades. You can’t fault them for trying something a little different.

Grade: B