Critic's Choice

Brett Netson, the guitarist/vocalist behind Caustic Resin, which hits the Lion's Lair on Thursday, July 12, was an original member of Built to Spill, and he still maintains an association with the band. That doesn't mean, however, that Keep on Truckin, the latest Resin disc on Up Records, is a...

By Michael Roberts

July 10, 2003

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Brett Netson, the guitarist/vocalist behind Caustic Resin, which hits the Lion's Lair on Thursday, July 12, was an original member of Built to Spill, and he still maintains an association with the band. That doesn't mean, however, that Keep on Truckin, the latest Resin disc on Up Records, is a poor sideman's version of a better-known group. Whereas the Spillers, led by Doug Martsch, tend to keep a tight grip on lyricism even when they're zooming into the extended-solo stratosphere, Netson and cohorts Mike Johnson (bass) and Pat Perkins (drums) would rather search for the ultimate in heaviness -- and they find it often enough. "People Fall Down," the opening slab o' Sabbath, is loud, sludgy and simpler than the plot of a Jean-Claude Van Damme movie, and if "Fry Like Ace Jones," "Wizard of the Upper Snake River" and the rest vary the dynamics a bit, they're consistently overwrought and occasionally hysterical -- which, in this case, are two very good things. After all, sanity can be awfully dull.

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Michael Roberts began his career with Westword in 1990 as music editor. In 1999, he took on a new role, full-time media reporter, as author of a column called The Message. In 2008, he became the lead writer for Westword's news blog, The Latest Word, a position he held until January 2023. Michael continues to freelance for Westword, covering everything from business to sports and the media; he also contributes to Jazziz, a national music magazine. He holds a bachelor's degree from what is now Colorado Mesa University and master's degrees from the University of California, Los Angeles, and Northwestern University.

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