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ANCIENT MELODIES OF THE FUTURE
Built To Spill
(Warner)
Doug Martsch is that rarest of beasts: An honest-to-gosh indie-rock guitar hero.
In a genre that often sees less as more, Martsch, like J. Mascis, constructs vast sonic temples of sprawling six-string grandeur. But naturally, being an indie-rock guy, he wants to shuck off that guitar-god mantle. So, on the sixth tremendous effort from his Boise, Id., trio Built to Spill, Doug eases up a bit, taking a looser, less meticulous approach.
Of course, it's all relative. Most of these 10 dreamy cuts are still thick with layer upon layer of guitars -- electric ones, acoustic ones, clean ones, dirty ones, wah-wah ones, backwards ones. And Doug's slow-burning, rambling arrangements and keening nasal vocals still make you wonder if he isn't the illegitimate love child of Neil Young. But the relaxed, low-impact vibe of Alarmed and In Your Mind and the buzzy fuzz-pop of Strange don't feel like Doug spent hours worrying over every note.
For him, that's a pretty heroic show of restraint.
Track Listing
1. Strange
2. The Host
3. In Your Mind
4. Alarmed
5. Trimmed and Burning
6. Happiness
7. Don't Try
8. You Are
9. Fly Around My Pretty Little Miss
10. The Weather