’80s New Wave sounds highlight latest Built to Spill effort

“The Electronic Anthology Project” is the title of Built to Spill’s new EP – sort of.

It’s not a Built to Spill album in that it’s a self-titled EP by the side project made up of the Boise-based band’s founder, Doug Martsch, and longtime bassist Brett Nelson (not to be confused with guitarist Brett Netson), who take on the monikers “Dug Martsch” and “brett neLson.”

The name Built to Spill isn’t formerly attached to the project. The three-guitar wall that is the group’s calling card is nonexistent.

And although the self-released album contains a compilation of seven Built to Spill songs re-sung by Martsch, the instrumentation consists only of synth and drum machine, in the vein of 1980s New Wave music.

Also, the songs are renamed with anagrams – so “What If Your Dull” is the Electronic Anthology Project’s take on “I Would Hurt A Fly.”

It’s not likely that fans will hear any of the EAP versions of the songs when Built to Spill arrives on Thursday at The Knitting Factory, but the band has been selling the EP at live shows.

Like last year’s tour, Built to Spill is playing songs from its entire catalog, only including a few cuts from its most recent release, 2009’s “There Is No Enemy.”

The Electronic Anthology Project has been baffling bloggers, who have responded with mixed reviews. Here’s a smattering of what some of the hipster heralds had to say:

• Consequenceofsound. net: “What do you get if you were to fire the band membes of Built to Spill and replace them with a Roland 808? The answer – or punch line – is The Electronic Anthology Project.”

• Sideonetrackone.com: “It could be just me, but I prefer the (‘What If Your Dull’) version. It’s more dramatic and where the original felt sort of like a simplistic grunge track, the darker and electronic-centric arrangement here makes for one great headphone-worthy listen.”

• Exclaim.ca: “Have you ever wondered what Built to Spill would sound like if their signature three-guitar attack was replaced with synth-heavy electro pop sounds? Us neither.”

• Seattleweekly.com: “Is it blasphemous that I kind of love this?”

• browardpalmbeach. com: “Not too big of a surprise that the Idahoans would goof around with their format a bit after past stabs at reggae.”

• Pitchfork.com: “The synths throughout are generally stuck on a single preset, and it appears to be the same used for the Flash Man stage of (video game) Mega Man II …

“ ‘What If Your Dull’ turns ‘I Would Hurt a Fly’ into drowsy, menacing trip-hop, while ‘At the Where’ takes the disarming little love song, ‘The Weather,’ and makes it sound like a moonlit distant cousin to Cyndi Lauper’s ‘Time After Time.’ If this were a side project and not a throwaway joke, it could be a great little album.”

• Deadasdigital.com: “If you enjoy these, and have not yet spent some time with Built to Spill’s back catalog, you are doing yourself a huge disservice.”