With guest performances by the members of
Death Cab for Cutie, Ben Barnett's
Kind of Like Spitting comes off like
Death Cab when they're angry.
Bridges Worth Burning, the band's sixth and most fully realized album, crosses the emotion and sincere teenage angst of
Bright Eyes with the jangling attack of
Burning Airlines. "We Are Both Writers" shuffles from an upbeat, feel-good rant à la
the Violent Femmes to the pained warble of
Conor Oberst and "Following Days" takes a cue from
Elvis Costello. Though the slow tracks like "I Want Out" just aren't as compelling as the up-tempo numbers,
Bridges Worth Burning proves
Kind of Like Spitting an indie force to be reckoned with. "Tyco Racing Set and a Christmas Story Fifteen Times This Lemonade Is Terrible" alone is a mini-epic as sprawling as the song's title. ~ Charles Spano