Now You Know

Reviewed by:
David Peisner

Built to Spill main man Doug Martsch has long been an anathema in the indie-rock underground: a guitar god in a genre that shies away from such deification. On his first solo record, Martsch displays an interest in, and aptitude for, country blues that he’s never before revealed, solidifying his status as college rock’s Eric Clapton. Tracks like “Offer” and “Dream” curl devastating, hypnotic slide guitar lines and precisely plucked acoustics around Martsch’s distinctive, airy vocals, creating an odd but surprisingly viable sonic juxtaposition of the gritty and the ethereal. Strings and woodwinds add gravity to his lyrical diamonds (“I hung around like another pronoun”) on the mournful, strummy standout “Heart (Things Never Shared),” while his cover of Mississippi Fred McDowell’s “Jesus” captures the tune’s haunting backwoods spirituality in fresh tones. Some might question the wisdom of trying to put a new spin on a form as time-worn as country blues, but Martsch invests Now You Know with enough tangible emotion to quiet any naysayers.

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