It’s not a good idea to call the latest Built to Spill record an afterthought.
“When the Wind Forgets Your Name” revisits material written earlier in the band’s 30-year history.
A few of these songs tried to be on a record. Doug Martsch recently told Uproxx in a career-spanning article that most of them are pretty old and a few are really old.
The set is dynamic and curious as ever. The strength of the record makes a promise to the band’s fans that they are not going to rest on their laurels.
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On “When the Wind Forgets Your Name” and throughout the band’s history, the “and Co.” of Martsch and Co. is important. The singer and guitarist-slinger is the constant force behind Built to Spill and, in 2018, he announced his intent to return to an initial design: keeping the lineup ever-revolving and -evolving.
“When the Wind Forgets Your Name” features him with Brazilian musicians Joo Casaes and L Almeida, whose band Oru will support Built to spill in Columbia.
Steven Hyden of Uproxx noted that the result united new energy with a sense of stability.
The band’s jammy, shambling guitar pop sound has remained remarkably distinctive and influential regardless of the constantly changing lineups.
At times on the record, Martsch sounds like a Neil Young figure, sometimes even a prog-rock maestro, for the Sub Pop generation.
“Gonna Lose” opens the record with 2 1/2 minutes of guitar glory, the riffs and Martsch’s vocal joining to approximate arena rock played through 1990s alternative filters.
The early highlight of the band is “Understood”, which leans towards the prog and psychedelic sides of the band.
He would deliver lines like “It’s been a long time since we took a trip / To the bottom of a canyon in a rocket ship / Nothing’s sparking in my mind” in the 70s.
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He is one of the true guitar heroes of the genre, and he makes great sounds with his instrument. The wind was blowing. “Never Alright” thrives in the thick and thin, while “Spiderweb” thrives in the dense and thin.
In 90 seconds, Martsch, Casaes and Almeida create a righteous noise with guitar waves crashing into an organ.
It’s the organ that makes the album’s best moment, dancing through the mix toward the center stage, then fluttering its heart out during an instrumental segment.
This section and the groovy drum-and-bass feel on “Rocksteady” show that one of the great guitar bands doesn’t have to center the guitar to soar. We remember that both matters and doesn’t who Martsch brings along, and that Built to Spill is up to something special.
Built to Spill plays The Blue Note with French Tips and Oru. You can get tickets for $25-$30. For more information, visit thebluenote.com.
Aarik Danielsen is the features and culture editor. You can contact him by email at adanielsen@columbiatribune.com. Find him on the social network.