another reason to stay alive one more year

You can now add the new Built to Spill record to your list of things to look forward to in the year 2006. I ran across the story on Tiny Mix Tapes that the untitled record, originally slated for a fall release, will not be a part of the Year of the Rooster. So by the time it comes out, it will be 5 years between releases. Heck, most bands don't even last that long anymore. Two big changes are in store for the new record, as the band has bypassed longtime producer Phil Ek, and the recording will also include, for the first time, their touring guitarist Jim Roth.

The boys have been busy playing some shows across the States and still have some dates planned for the summer. Apparently they are using the shows the determine which songs might make the cut on the new record. So if you're fortunate enough to attend a performance of theirs this summer, do us all a favor and cheer more loudly for the best songs instead of just polite applause after each. If people go crazy for the classics, does that mean we will get a 'Greatest Hits'?