By Stan Cierlitsky
I am so thrilled to be reviewing the new album from one of my all-time favorites, Built to Spill. When The Wind Forgets Your Name is their first album for Sub Pop, and it's out September 9th. The cool thing about reviewing albums is sometimes receiving them quite early. For me, this has been the "Summer of Built to Spill" and I couldn't be happier.
Doug Martsch has always intended for Built to Spill to be a collaborative project, and he rearranges his lineup fairly often. He reasons, "Each time we finish a record, I want the next one to sound totally different." I have thought about that quote so often while listening to this record. I agree, but I also disagree. On When the Wind Forgets Your Name, Doug works with Brazilian lo-fi punk artist and producer Lê Almeida, and his long-time collaborator, João Cases, both from the psychedelic jazz-rock band, Oruã. They definitely bring some sounds that expand the Built to Spill sonic approach, and they are a very welcome addition. A great example of this is the very subtle addition of keyboards that sound like steel drums on the song "Elements". "Elements" was one of the first songs that jumped out at me on this record. It is a slow, beautiful song like "The Weather", from 2001's Ancient Melodies of the Future, but with the addition of richly-layered guitar and keyboard elements. Some of Built to Spill's best songs are the pretty, slower songs, and this ranks right up there as one of the best.
But, honestly, what makes Built to Spill so great (and all of you know this) is the amazing Doug Martsch. His gentle voice, masterful guitar, and endearing lyrics are probably what matter most to any Built to Spill fan. I can honestly say I have never been disappointed by a Built to Spill record, and while 1999's Keep it Like a Secret sits on my Mount Rushmore of great albums, When the Wind Forgets Your Name is a pretty great record too.
Even though I have had this album all summer, we all got our first taste back in April when the first single "Gonna Lose" dropped. I immediately loved this song. It's a short, immediate rock nugget. To me, it feels like Doug occasionally tries to constrain himself to what most people see as a radio-friendly rock song. From "Carry the Zero" to "Living Zoo" and now to "Gonna Lose", video below.
And speaking of videos, you should probably check out all of the videos released for the teasers so far. I am not a big video guy anymore, but I really enjoyed all of these.
The fourth teaser "Spiderweb" is one of my favorite songs on the record. Tell me the opening doesn't remind you of Dinosaur Jr. And the lyrics are great. There are so many seemingly introspective songs on this album. I’m not sure if it's because of the loneliness of the pandemic, or just getting older. I can relate to both of those and I too have have been much more introspective lately.
"I've had these feelings for a long time / Ever since I was a kid / I thought they'd go away by now / But now I see they never did"
Exactly!
The back-to-back songs "Never Alright" and "Alright" seem like bookends to me, or maybe two parts of a conversation. "Never Alright" comes in hard and heavy, Doug's guitar as interesting as ever here. "Never Alright" sings out frustration and desperation. It seems pretty bleak. "Everyday everyone tells you everything you ought to be. I know that you won't believe them, but you take them so seriously. It's never alright." "Alright", on the other hand, comes in slow and pretty. "We can have a new life. We can start a whole other way. We can take it all back." This song sounds hopeful.
I also have to mention the epic closer, "Comes a Day", mostly because I feel the need to make a music nerd comment, but also because it's fantastic. Like many of Built to Spill's songs, this has a couple of nice tempo changes. I love when they do this. It makes it feel like several songs in one. My nerd comment relates to the ending. Many people like to lump Modest Mouse and Built to Spill together. "Dramamine" by Modest Mouse is one of my Top 10 of life. I have always loved the little weird outro on it. "Comes a Day" does something similar here. Kind of sounds like a backwards loop with beats or something.
Sorry if this review went too long. Like I mentioned in the beginning, this is one of my favorite bands ever, so I just can't help myself. And the return of Built to Spill, offering up their first release on a new home label seemed the right time to rave about this perennially rewarding group.
More details on Built to Spill's current tour via BuilttoSpill.com.
When The Wind Forgets Your Name by Built to Spill is out on Friday via Sub Pop.
[Illustration: Alex Graham]