Labels: Champ Records
Review by: Andy Malcolm
That’s quite an album title isn’t it. Really, everything they’ve learned in 55 minutes? One of the key things they appear to have learned about living is that they know how to write a damn near perfect indie rock song. And sometimes in the style of Built to Spill. That’s an important lesson to learn in life, i.e. if you’re going to write damn near perfect indie rock songs, and you are sometimes going to do it in the style of someone else, you may as well pick Built to Spill.
This CD certainly gets off on the right foot on the countryish opening twang of “West Liberty”, and it slowly builds up into an absolute gem of a track. Jangling lazily, slacker than thou, boy+girl vocals combining to serenade you to a summer time snooze. It’s the sort of song that demands you not go to work tomorrow, and that you should spend the whole day sitting in the middle of a corn field staring at the clouds. And when the track explodes into the glorious upbeat finale you can’t help but smile and sit back to anticipate the rest of the ride that you’re about to be presented with.
Now, I would be the first to say that I have the attention span of a [insert appropriate animal with limited attention span], and that 55 minutes really is far too long for a record. Blame whatever spazzy emo violence band I’ve been listening to in the past few weeks. But Glossary carry it off! They make a record that is almost an hour (AN HOUR!) long, and get me to listen to it all the way through. And like it too! It does fall a tiny bit flat in the mid section, but I’m forgiving. It’s probably because the songs are just so incredibly laid back that I have fallen into a state of complete and utter sedatedness, and I’m just cruisin’, and it’s all automatic pilot. But I reckon they are probably pretty good, I just couldn’t really tell you either way.
“Just Be A Rampart” is pure Spill, mixed with a touch of Wilco (my mum likes Wilco, I get to hear them a lot on the kitchen stereo). Listen to that loafing bass line haul it’s ass a long barely an inch off the floor, and the quirky jangling guitars that play off of each other so perfectly. Can you complain? I sure can’t. Other standouts are “Fast Walkin’, Shit Talkin'” which just bounces it’s way through your mind, the driving “Counter Culturism” and “Wandered Off To Far” where Maggie’s vocals are just, well, wow. Basically.
Well, it’s indie rock to the max, and it just so happens that some indie rock bands are any good. Glossary is one of them. It’s simple, I’ve already explained the criteria that will grant you to like this record. And if you haven’t figured it out by now. BUILT TO SPILL. The summertime special. Go find it.