October 2009 Archives

Of their three post-reunion albums so far, The Sound the Speed the Light sounds the most industrious, the most like another day at the office. There's nothing surprising here, and some songs are so signature-styled you might wonder if you've heard them before. But when it comes to office work, Burma's day beats most bands' years. So the lack of surprise also means a lack of flaws, and a lot of energy and power. When these guys punch the clock, they take the phrase literally. Pitchfork

On the unexpectedly terrific There Is No Enemy, it becomes immediately clear what had been missing, and sure enough, it was invisible: While Enemy technically sounds just like every Built to Spill record since Keep It Like a Secret-- the pinwheeling guitar fantasias, the ambling tempos, and the wayward vocal lines are all here-- it is buoyed by a fresh sense of emotional stakes, an urgency that puts wind back in the band's sails. For the first time in almost 10 years, it seems that Martsch might actually have something he wants to say.Pitchforkmedia