Built to Spill - Untethered Moon

Built to Spill
Untethered Moon
2015

Built to Spill more than almost any other Indie band out there have the admiration of their peers. You can't find many Indie artists that don't sight Built to Spill as one of their main influences. However that was then, and this is now. Their newest release, Untethered Moon, suffers from quite a few issues. First the tracks are way overlong. "When I'm Blind" the final song on the record is well over eight minutes, and most of that time is spent with guitars and drums just making noise. The banging around doesn't add to the song, it more just takes the listener out of it by annoying them. There are many tracks on the album which are over four minutes and it seems almost pointless. The long tracks are going somewhere, they are just long to be long and repetitive. Where old Built to Spill songs like "Girl" were heartfelt and honest this record feels entirely hollow.

It's not all bad though/ "C.E.R.B.: and "So" in particular are standout tracks that really work on that hard indie type of way. One thing about Built to Spill is that they are they perfect type of artist that you really need to dig into, not a great situation for this project as it only allows for a cursory listen. While their legacy will never be tarnished and their music is still a cut above most of what is out there Untethered Moon is not the best, nor hopefully the last, that Built to Spill has to offer.

5.5 out of 10