#25 – Car by Built to Spill (from There’s Nothing Wrong With Love, Up Records 1994)

mp3 – Car

So, here we go with the top 25…

“I want to see movies of my dreams”… that kind of sums it all up.

I love this story, and I just found out about it.

Before Warner Brothers signed Built To Spill to a major label contract, frontman Doug Martsch asked to have him and his family covered by health insurance.

“It was a hard decision to go with them — but it probably would have been harder if I wouldn’t have had a family,” he concedes. “If that was the case, and I was going to tour a lot and just work, then being on an independent label would have been fine. Because touring’s not that bad, and I kind of like the idea of a more fair system where we get what we deserve and the record company gets what it deserves. I mean, I don’t think we deserve to get whatever advance we got from Warner Bros. — we haven’t earned that yet, you know. But since I have a family, I didn’t want to tour a lot, and I needed to know I could still take care of things.”

In fact, yesterday, Sirius XMU reported that Martsch and his family have health coverage as long as he is alive.

Good for him. A nice story to hear in this day-and-age of the healthcare debate.

Three great new albums fresh off the music tree!

My favorite trip-hoppers Massive Attack are back after three years with a new 4-song EP called “Splitting the Atom“. Quintessential dark and broody with choice special guests including Martina Topley Bird and TV on the Radio’s Tunde Adebimpe. Look for their fifth full-length album out this Fall.

Creepy title track “Splitting the Atom” –

PS. Love the album cover!

Built to Spill, one of my all-time favorite indie bands, is back with “There Is No Enemy“. Doug Martsch’s voice just soothes me! 

Gossip’s “Music for Men” is dance-punk goodness! Yummy mix of rock and dance and classic raw Beth Ditto, even gospelly at times! A Rick Rubin production.

One of my favorite tracks “Heavy Cross” calls to mind Stevie Nicks and is a great track to get angry to. Raw and wonderful.

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Built to Spill's There Is No Enemy is set to hit stores on October 6th.

PREVIEW: LISTEN to Built to Spill’s “Aisle 13″ MP3
WE GIVE IT: 16/20 Watts

Boise-based indie pioneers Built to Spill have been responsible for perhaps some of indie rock’s most ambitious and timeless sounds. After two decades of making music, some speculated that the aging group was losing their potential for growth. In the 2000s, the band’s releases were criticized as empty and largely unfocused. However, with the release of their tenth record to date, it sounds as though they’ve returned to their creative prime. There Is No Enemy is distinctly them, and we couldn’t be happier to hear it.

As Built to Spill’s first release in three years opens, there is no doubt that the wonderfully-aged alt-rockers are back in true form. The band’s signature, solid and undeniably-bottomless sound is splattered across opening track, “Aisle 13.” It’s a scenic and surreal sound that fans and new listeners alike will surely revel in.

Some may wonder how founder and principal songwriter Doug Martsch has anything left after amassing such an impressive catalogue over the years.  However, not only is there enough material still to talk about, but the writing on the album overall comes off as surprisingly unique. Without losing their unmistakable tone, Built to Spill have produced their most mature-sounding album yet, even this far into the game.

On a few of the tracks, listeners will easily pick up on a bit more of a southern twang in the writing (see “Hindsight”). It’s rarely overdone, and adds a bit of flavor to an album that some might easily misdiagnose as too repetitive. One of the collection’s best features is the unquestionably-improved dynamic between the guitars and drums, as There Is No Enemy features some of the group’s most notably well-meshed playing to-date.

So will this be their final studio album? Some speculate that it will, but judging from the newfound vigor in Spill’s writing, no one can say for certain. And come on, the last track is called “Tomorrow”. That’s got more cliffhanger potential than the end of a Harry Potter book. I guess some things do get better with age.

– John Luposello

Idaho indie-rock mainstays Doug Martsch and company have come together once again as Built to Spill to release their seventh full-length album in the 11-tracked There Is No Enemy. The album is to be officially released on October 6th via Warner Bros; however, the band is currently streaming the entire album on their myspace page and, (for those of you who “borrow” your tunes via filesharing) the album has leaked to the interweb as well.  The record features guest musicians Sam Coomes (of Quasi), cellist John McMahon, Scott Schmaljohn (of Treepeople, Doug Martsch’s former band), Paul Leary, and additional keyboards by Roger Manning. The full tracklisting is below.

1. “Aisle 13″ – 3:17
2. “Hindsight” – 3:38
3. “Nowhere Lullaby” – 3:59
4. “Good Ol’ Boredom” – 6:31
5. “Life’s a Dream” – 4:53
6. “Oh Yeah” – 5:21
7. “Pat” – 2:40
8. “Done” – 6:53
9. “Planting Seeds” – 4:26
10. “Things Fall Apart” – 6:15
11. “Tomorrow” – 7:40

Built to Spill is touring too. Go see them!

Remaining Tour Dates
Oct. 6 – Lee’s Palace, Toronto, Ontario
Oct. 7 – Lee’s Palace, Toronto, Ontario
Oct. 8 – State Theater, Ithaca, NY
Oct. 9 – Middle East, Cambridge, MA
Oct. 10 – Middle East, Cambridge, MA
Oct. 12 – Webster Hall, New York, NY
Oct. 13 – Webster Hall,  New York, NY
Oct. 14 – Music Hall of Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NY
Oct. 15 – Music Hall of Williamsburg,  Brooklyn, NY
Oct. 16 – The Trocadero, Philadelphia, PA
Oct. 17 – 9:30 Club, Washington DC
Oct. 18 – Cat’s Cradle, Carrboro, NC
Oct. 20 – 40 Watt Club, Athens, GA
Oct. 21 – Minglewood Hall, Memphis, TN
Oct. 22 – Granada Theater, Dallas, TX
Oct. 23 – Warehouse Live, Houston, TX
Oct. 24 – Stubb’s Waller Creek Ampitheater, Austin, TX
Oct. 25 – Diamond Ballroom, Oklahoma City, OK
Oct. 27 – Sunshine Theater, Albuquerque, NM
Oct. 28 – Dry River, Tuscon, AZ
Nov. 15 – WOW Hall, Eugene, OR
Nov. 17 – The Nightlight, Bellingham, WA
Nov. 18 – Commodore Ballroom,Vancouver, BC
Nov. 19 – Showbox at the Market, Seattle, WA
Nov. 20 – Showbox at the Market, Seattle, WA
Nov. 21 – Knitting Factory Concert House, Spokane, WA

With smells of sewage in the air

The sound was…majestic. The bearded Idahoians are back again and performed at the Newport Music Hall on Thursday, October 1. The band is touring in support of their upcoming album, There is no enemy, due out Oct. 6. Not sure if these innovators of modern indie rock were tired out from life on the road, tired of rocking in general or just annoyed that they can no longer play at Columbus’ Little Brothers music venue. “Heard Little Brothers shut down” said guitarist Brett Nelson, “How did you let that happen?” Those were the only comments made by the band all night.  The tired band seemed like they could have been the guys I was playing against in Call of Duty a few hours before the show.

Built to Spill at the Newport Music Hall on Thursday, Oct. 1. Photo Ben French

The upcoming album is rumored on their website as Doug Martsch’s last work.  May I repeat, these musicians looked tired.  After over twenty years of playing all over the world and releasing six full length albums the band looks like they are over it. Been there done that.  Martsch would directly go from song to his guitar tuner, song to guitar tuner. No eye contact or interaction with the crowd.

Built to Spill. Photo Ben French

Maybe the band didn’t come to Columbus to have an intimate show with the crowd, but they did come ready to perform. And jam they did. This is the kind of band that lost Phish fans could adore, but that’s if they can deal with the stale rhythmless hipster scene. I mean their encore song had to be over 20 minutes long. The band explored songs from their entire catalog featuring songs off of the upcoming release as well as old favorites including Car, You Were Wrong, Stop the Show and Carry the Zero. Built to Spill is infamous, at least from my experiences, for playing unknown songs from unreleased albums at their shows. And I sport their entire catalog. So it was kind of nice to here some of the songs that got me into the band in the first place, mainly the songs from Keep it Like a Secret.

I may keep losing enthusiasm from my friends that I go with to see Built to Spill, but as long as they play I will at least show up and see what they are up to.

There Is No Enemy [2009] <-Download

O sétimo álbum do Built To Spill será lançado nos próximos dias pela Universal. Sua sonoridade dá sequência à do viajado You In Reverse, de 2006. There Is No Enemy é a primeira experiência do BTS com gravação digital, o que proporcionou à banda uma liberdade de experimentação inédita. É impressionante como Doug Martsch consegue transformar camadas sobrepostas de guitarras em canções grudentas. Por outro lado, o novo método também atrasou o lançamento — Martsch preferiu remixar tudo em equipamentos analógicos, sentindo certa frieza no som. Sam Coomes (Quasi), Paul Leary (Butthole Surfers) e Roger Manning, entre outros amigos, participaram do disco. A atual turnê, que começou em agosto, inclui shows com o Dinosaur Jr neste mês.

Built To Spill - Hidsight

It’s a cool date… and it’s also RADIO LOVELESS. Tonight from 8 to 10 pm on KRUI 89.7 fm or listen online here.

1. Yo La Tengo, Matador Records 10th Anniversary, Sugarcube (live) Originally released on I can hear the heart beating as one.
2. Red Snapper, Image of You (single), Image of You
3. Portishead, Third (2008, 11 years after their self-titled sophmore release), Silence
4. Arab Strap, Philophobia (1998), Here we Go

5. Crime, San Francisco’s Still Doomed (it’s a collection of studio recordings and rehersal tapes originally released in 1991), Hot Wire my Heart
A couple of weeks ago I titled my show “Hot Wire my Heart” which was a track Sonic Youth performed on Sister. A reader was kind enough to inform me that it was first done by a band called Crime in the late 70’s so I wanted to feature the original version this week.
6. Cornelius, Matador Records 10th Anniversary Anthology, Count Five or Six (Cornelius’s song “Count Five or Six” was meant to be a way to teach kids how to count (at least up to six).
7. The Amps, Pacer (1995 off of 4AD), First Revival
8. Black Flag, Damaged (1981 off of SST), TV Party
9. Sleater-Kinney, All Hands on the Bad One, You’re no Rock’n Roll Fun
10. The Smiths, Strangeways Here we Come (1987), Girlfriend in a Coma
11. The Flaming Lips, Hear it Is (1986), Jesus Shootin Heroin

12. The Cure, The Head in the Door (1985), Kyoto Song
13. Morphine, B-sides and otherwise (1997), Down Love’s Tributaries
14. Fugazi, 13 Songs (1989), Waiting Room (13 Songs is a compilation of all the songs from Fugazi’s first two EPs including: Fugazi (1988) and Margin Walker (1989)
15. X, Los Angeles (1980), Johny Hit and Run Parade
16. Cat Power, Moon Pix (1998), Metal Heart (One of my all-time favorite songs.)
17. Iron & Wine, Sub Pop: Infecting the Galaxy One Planet at a Time, Southern Anthem
18. Devo, Q: Are We Not Men? A: We are Devo! (1978), Gut feeling (This track is featured in The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou!!!)
19. Doug Martsch, Now You Know (2002), Window (Doug Martsch of Built to Spill released this splendid solo album a couple of years ago. Its truly lovely.)

20. Chapterhouse, Freefall-EP (1990), Need (Somebody)
21. R.E.M., Eponymous (1988), Gardening at Night
22. The Field Mice, Where’d You Learn to Kiss That Way? (a compilation album released in 1998), Coach Station Reunion
23. Echo & The Bunnymen, Just a Touch Away
24. The Stone Roses, Second Coming (1994), Daybreak
25. Superchunk, No Pocky for Kitty, Skip Steps 1 & 3

That lyrical snippet is from Doug Martsch’s band Built to Spill. It’s from the track “I would Hurt a Fly” off of Perfect from now on. For a long time this was one of my favorite songs and albums out of the 90’s right next to White Trash Heroes from Archers of Loaf.

I really fell in love with how music could change my mood or make me feel with bands like The Pixies, Built to Spill, PJ Harvey, Nick Cave, Nirvana, Guided by Voices, Sonic Youth, My Bloody Valentine, Pavement, Dinosaur Jr., The Amps, Madder Rose, Jon Spencer, and many more. This all occurred during the 90s for me. I started stumbling across all these artists, spending money left and right on CDs, LPs, and even *gasp* TAPES. I can thank this decade for forming my love/obsession with music. So this week, I’m going to play tribute to that, and ignore my urge to play late 70s, 80s, and recent stuff. I’m going to bring you some of the albums that came out in that decade of music that brought sound to my life.

Listen in this Wednesday from 8pm till 10pm, at KRUI 89.7 fm or online here.

I’ll bring you the playlist soon.

“I definitely have always considered myself a songwriter. My musicianship is just barely enough and usually not enough to pull off the song.”  Read Full Piece.

Aimee Mann hade jag aldrig hört talas om innan jag såg den utmärkta filmen Magnolia. Men efter att ha avnjutit hur hennes musik lyfte filmen till höga höjder blev jag så klart mycket intresserad av henne. Som tur var fick jag hennes skiva Bachelor no. 2 av min äldste lillebror i present eller julklapp. Det är en riktigt bra skiva. Den andra skivan som jag har (om jag nu har den kvar, i hyllan stod endast ett tomt fodral) är inte lika bra. Den lider lite av det som är Aimee Manns största problem i mitt tycke – hennes musik blir lätt lite jämntjock och tråkig i längden. På Bachelor no. 2 lyckas hon dock behålla mitt intresse från början till slut.

268. Aimee Mann – Bachelor no. 2 or the Last Remains of the Dodo

Save Me

269. Aimee Mann – Lost in Space

Det allra första inlägget jag skrev om mitt cd-rippande var om mina hjältar Built to Spill. Sångaren, låtskrivaren och hjärnan i bandet är Doug Martsch. Han har även släppt en soloskiva och den är, precis som Built to Spills skivor, alldeles lysande. Det är lite mer countrytouch på musiken jämfört med Built to Spill och inte fullt så mycket finurligt gitarrspel, lite enklare kort sagt. Jag gillar den mycket.

270. Doug Martsch – Now You Know

Heart (Things Never Shared)

Ni få krakar som följer mitt projekt vet vid det här laget att mycket hände 1995 när jag kom till Linköping, åtminstone vad beträffar mitt musiklyssnande. Man kan väl sammanfatta det hela med att säga att jag kom i kontakt med många människor med bra musiksmak som gjorde mig medveten om att jag hade missat en hel del.

Massive Attack var ett sådant band som jag hade missat. Blue Lines kom redan 1991 och uppföljaren Protection 1994, men jag hade 1995 ännu inte förstått att de var något att ha. När Pop placerade Blue Lines på plats 69 på 100-bästalistan öppnades ögonen litegrann. I kulturvetarkretsarna var Massive Attack rätt så heta och även rätt så creddiga. Bland somliga var det “helt rätt” typ av musik för tillfället. Massive Attack, Tricky, Portishead osv, det var de som var the shit liksom. Jag ville inte vara sämre så jag såg till att skaffa Blue Lines och Protection, men jag måste säga att jag aldrig riktigt fastnade för Massive Attack. De var säkert pionjärer, ett mycket betydelsefullt band och allt sådant, men har aldrig kunnat tycka att de var mer än ok. Unfinished Sympathy är dock en jäkla bra låt. Jag minns att videon blev mycket uppmärksammad eftersom den är filmad i en enda lång tagning.

271. Massive Attack – Blue Lines

Unfinished Sympathy

272. Massive Attack – Protection

Built To Spill, Keep It Like A Secret
(Warner Bros., 1999)
my rating: 95%

Za oknem kolejny dzień z rzędu widzisz ciemne chmury i deszcz. W telewizji ciągle tylko choroby, wojny, rozpacz. Dziewczyna z Tobą zerwała. Starzy nie podwyższyli Ci kieszonkowego mimo wielokrotnych obietnic. Znowu nie dostałeś kredytu. Jakieś złamane #$@%&*!!! ukradły Ci rower (wiadomo, marzec). W zasadzie to chcesz się powiesić, tylko nie wiesz, jak się do tego zabrać. Kończy się tak, że oglądasz Plebanię i łapiesz się na tym, że nawet Ci się ten serial podoba, co jeszcze bardziej Cię dobija. Otóż mam dla Ciebie dobrą wiadomość. Właśnie dowiadujesz się o istnieniu Built To Spill. Albo właśnie sobie o nich przypominasz.

Buil To Spill to taki fajny, indie gang, który boss Doug Martsch założył w 1992 r. Dlaczego fajny? Ano dlatego, że nie wymuszają haraczy, nie porwą Twoich najbliższych z żądaniem okupu i nie zrobią Ci konkurencji na Twojej dzielni w nielegalnym handlu znaczkami pocztowymi. Zrobią coś zupełnie innego. Zrobią Ci dobrze. Mnie schwytali za gardło, ścisnęli i kazali się uśmiechać, co też uczyniłem bez najmniejszego oporu. Nie miałem innego wyjścia. Rozłożyli mnie na części pierwsze. Bo jak można nie nabrać chęci do życia usłyszawszy pierwsze dźwięki gitary w „The Plan”?
W „Carry The Zero” leniwie zwiążą Ci ręce, że nawet nie zauważysz, że nie możesz się poruszyć. A podczas „Sidewalk” walną Cię obuchem w potylicę i stracisz przytomność. Ale serio, nie ma się czego bać, to spoko goście.
W „Time Trap” odlecisz. To będzie obcowanie z absolutem. Od 2 min. 03 sek. poczujesz, że właśnie ktoś dotyka najgłębszych zakamarków Twojego jestestwa, choć tak naprawdę to Doug Martsch rozetnie Ci brzuch, chwyci jednym ruchem wszystkie możliwe bebechy naraz i je wyrwie. Zabawne, że to jeden z najpiękniejszych momentów na płycie.
Spokojne „Else” będzie dopełnieniem katharsis, które przeżyjesz (heh). Takiego połączenia delikatnie wibrującego niepokoju ze wszechogarniającym poczuciem spełnienia jeszcze długo nie będzie Ci dane usłyszeć. Rozklekotana w tle gitara w 3 min. 31 sek. przypomni Ci pewnie o Modest Mouse.
A w „You Were Right” Doug będzie kazał Ci śpiewać: Yeah, you were wrooong when you said everything’s gonna be alright!!! Dam głowę, że kibole rycząc Hej Arka gol! w rytm samby, rumby czy czego tam nie czują tego, co Ty śpiewając do spółki z Built To Spill.
No tak, jeszcze dwa kawałki do końca albumu, a Ty jesteś raczej wykończony, co nie? Zła wiadomość: ostatnie numery nie są gorsze od poprzednich. Przypuszczam, że w „Temporarily Blind” zaczniesz błagać o litość. Jeśli przeżyjesz (ha, znowu) to, co dzieje się w tym kawałku od 1 min. 45 sek., to witaj w elitarnym, ekskluzywnym gronie wtajemniczonych, wszystkowiedzących mocarzy. A na końcu, przy „Broken Chairs” będziesz mógł sobie pogwizdać, bo na wskroś przeniknie Cię poczucie kompletnego luzu i syndromu mam-gdzieś-cały-Babilon. W ten oto sposób, po 46 min. i 53 sek. wrócisz do rzeczywistości jako nowonarodzony.

Dlaczego piszę o Keep It Like A Secret? Oprócz tego, że nie miałem innego pomysłu na post (fakt, myślałem, żeby zrezygnować z Super Bombermana w komórce, ale… Nie, są granice)? Miesiąc temu minęło 10 lat od premiery tej płyty. Każdy jubileusz jest dobry, żeby zrobić okolicznościową laurkę. Czy album zestarzał się jak wino czy też może odmłodniał jak Benjamin Button? Nie mam pojęcia, bo 10 lat temu nosiłem kostkę z naszywką „Green Day” i o istnieniu Built To Spill nawet nie wiedziałem, więc nie mam porównania. Domyślam się jednak, tak jak dzisiaj jest płytą potężną, nie zostawiająca słuchaczowi chwili wytchnienia, tak była nią w 1999 roku. Tyle.

Profil MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/builttospill

Den här omgången skivor har jag hållt lite på. Anledningen är den att jag inte vet riktigt vad jag ska skriva om dem. Jag har inte så mycket att säga om dem faktiskt. En del skivor har man bara och det här råkar vara just såna skivor. Ett undantag är Halo Benders som det finns en gnutta historia bakom. Jag återkommer till det.

Det verkar kanske som att jag börjar tappa gnistan för det här projektet. Jag kan försäkra er att det inte är så. Det är ungefär som elitserien i hockey. Det är så många matcher i grundserien att lagen ofrånkomligen faller in i en serielunk och orkar bara prestera max vid särskilt speciella matcher, exempelvis heta derbyn eller prestigematcher. Jag känner att jag har svårt att tända till när jag ska skriva om skivor som jag inte har nån speciell relation till. Motivationen infaller sig först när det är dags för en sån där speciell skiva. Runt hörnet väntar en sån. Jag ska bara riva av den här bortamatchen mot Luleå först.

192. Grandaddy – Under the Western Freeway

Summer Here Kids

Den här skivan fick jag i födelsedagspresent av min äldsta lillebror nån 20+ -födelsedag. Bra skiva av en bra grupp.

193. Grant Lee Buffalo – Fuzzy

The Shining Hour

Fuzzy

Jag minns väl när jag köpte den här. Suget efter en ny skiva var stort, men väl i skivaffären visste jag inte riktigt vad och jag hittade inte nåt som kändes riktigt bra. Det slutade med att jag rev åt mig den här. Låten Fuzzy spelades ganska flitigt hemma hos min dåvarande flickvän så jag visste ungefär vad jag gav mig in på. Det är inte mitt mest lyckade skivköp.

194. Al Green – The Very Best of

Sha La La (Make Me Happy)

Exempel på en sån där artist som jag ville bekanta mig med. Vi kom inte varandra särskilt nära.

195. The Halo Benders – God Make No Junk

Don’t Touch My Bikini

196. The Halo Benders – The Rebels Not In

Virginia Reel Around the Fountain

Your Asterisk

Bury Me

The Halo Benders är ett samarbete mellan två gamla bekanta – Doug Martsch från Built to Spill och Calvin Johnson från Beat Happening. Med två så tungt vägande skäl måste man ju bara kolla upp vad de knåpat ihop. Det är två riktigt bra skivor, särskilt den andra. Mycket bra!

197. Happy Mondays – Yes, Please

Sunshine and Love

Den här skivan är inte nån höjdare. Happy Mondays och sedan Black Grape gör inte riktigt min typ av musik. Men man ska ju prova allt en gång och med den här skivan provade jag Happy Mondays.

This post was going to be part of the Top 10 Concert list that is coming, but I thought that it deserved it’s own.  There are a handful of songs that come to my mind when I think of my favorites of all time.  On that list is Radiohead’s Blow Out off of Pablo Honey, Losing My Religion by R.E.M., Trucker Atlas by Modest Mouse, Hey Jude by The Beatles, and Velvet Waltz by Built to Spill.  

Built to Spill continually grew on me over the years.  It started with Carry The Zero back in high school. They had been around for years, but my knowledge of music was slowly growing and I was far behind. The first tme I saw the band was in Long Beach, CA at the ATP Festival.  Spoon, Modest Mouse, Iggy and The Stooges, The Shins, Mars Volta, !!!, Sonic Youth, Cat Power, Mission of Burma,and scheduled to perform, Elliot Smith.  He sadly stabbed himself weeks earlier.

This was the same show that I danced, drank, and made out with Anna, the exotic curly-haired blonde whose journal I wrote in.  I almost missed the show thanks to the week’s prior events.  Halloween in San Francisco kicked my ass.  I was ill for a week and told Sam I would not be able to make the festival.  I rallied and we took the old BMW down to the Queen Mary for some partying.

As the years continued I tried to see Built to Spill when I could, but I was still a fan of their so-called hits, not a dedicated BTS fan of old.  I followed my love for guitar an kept showing up to their shows.  The more I playe guitar the more I wanted to see the band play.  There is something to be said for 3 guys making 18 strings sound so good together.  They were flawless.  

Whenever they came to Portland we were fortunate enough to have a two night stand from the band at the Crystal Ballroom.  I smoked and listened, imbibed and listened, drugs and listened, and soberly enjoyed their music.  I mixed it up, but as far as the music goes, I always wanted the same thing.  Then I saw them at The Independent on Septembe 19, 2007.  They were playing a small club show before their set the following day at Treasure Island.  I knew that they were only allotted 55 minutes at the fest so I had to take advantage seeing them perform for two hours in the city.

Sam and I struggled for tickets to the show.  I had found one on craigslist but Sam was still seeking her golden ticket.  We had faith and took are chances, showing up to The Independent minutes before the opening band played to score our second admission.  We headed down Divisadero to grab some beers and made a quick stop at Popeye’s to soak up some of the liquor we had been consuming.

I ran into Doug before the show and told him I would move to Boise if they played ‘Life’s a Dream.’  They did, but maybe they already had their setlist drawn up. Now this wasnt Built To Spill’s most amazing setlist, but it exposed me to the song Velvet Waltz.  The set started slow with Liar, Source, and Time Trap.  Velvet Waltz started and I swayed side to side for the first few minutes enjoying the lyrics.  It was about four minutes into the song that I experienced something that has only happened twice before at a show, I touched my face, mouth agape, anticipating a life changing moment.  It was about a minute later it all happened.

The five-piece from Boise became an orchestra conducted by my imagination.  Everything I wanted to hear was heard.  When I wanted a fill on the drums it was filled.  When a chord progression needed to match the bass players rhythm it followed, when the overdrive and reverb needed to form a layer for a guitar solo, it was perfectly laid out.  I was still.   

As the song came to an end I could not help but ask Sam if she just saw what happened?  I couldnt believe it myself and had to be reassured that what I saw was not all a dream.  My life just got better.

Since that night I live for the live performance of the song.  I continue to see Radiohead, but I know that they havent played Blowout since July 2, 1997, so the odds of seeing it live may never happen in my lifetime. Trucker Atlas is almost as rare.  Hey Jude will not be the same without the full band, although a young Japanese kid does a great performance of it, and Losing My Religion is within my sights as long as MIchael Stipe keeps touring.  

I left San Francisco with a greater appreciation for life and music.  I remember leaving Sams and taking the MUNI to connect to the BART.  On my way to SFO I must have listened to the track six times.  I was lucky enough to have had my Bose headphones, allowing me to capture almost every detail of the live performance.  That song pushed my mind and willpower.  I made it my daily soundtrack and it helped me become stronger when times were tough.  By tough I mean I was due for a bone marrow transplant within the month, and San Fran was my last hoorah before heading up to OHSU for an autologous bone marrow operation that may have taken my life, but more importantly, my soul.

I remember hearing the news from my doctor and playing this song.  I was house sitting and I began to cry because it was the happiest I had been since I heard this song in San Francisco.  

Four months later I had the chance to thank Doug Martsch personally.  It was night two of their shows at The Fillmore.  Again I wass in San Francisco and I was having the time of my life.  Sam opted not to go the second show and I was left alone in an attempt to do something that some might find strange.  I listened and loved the show.  I had come to know that after the shows the band will sign LPs and give fans a moment to chat and maybe snap a photo.  I waited for many fans to say their his and byes, have shirts and posters signed, and an occasional photo with Dug.  I chatted with Bret who I had become familiar with from prior shows and we laughed about stupid fans.  The Fillmore was near empty and there was only one person left that wanted to speak with Doug Martsch.  After he left I asked Doug if I could talk to him for a minute.  He didnt hesitate to say yes and I explained my disease and what I had endured the last two years.  I wrapped it up by thanking him for his music and what he meant as a musician.  I described my chemo treatments and the meaning I found in his songs.  He had a happy look of sadness  and gave me a hug.  I took a photo with him and he told me to go live my life.  To this day he still asks about my health when I see him at shows.  That is why Built to Spill is my favorite band.

Earlier this summer the band had announced that they were going to tour and perform their 1997 masterpiece, Perfect From Now On at the ATP Festival in New York.  It wasn’t long after that they announced a tour, and it wasn’t til a month prior to MFNW that they were added to play the Wonder Ballroom.  

Velvet Waltz came halfway through their set and sent me back to Divisadero.  I knew as soon as they finished I had to see it again in Eugene the following night.  I said hi to Brett after the show and Dug saved me from being kicked out by an asshole security guard.  This dickless fuck was yelling at me as I was waiting.  He wanted me to leave a near empty building.  As he started yelling I told him I was waiting and he began cursing.  That’s when he tried forcing myself and Calvin Johnson out of the building before DOug told him we were with him.  This asshole rent-a-cop felt like the worthless fuck that he was and walked away.  Dug asked about my health and was glad I could make it.  I told him I was considering the Eugene show and he took out a marker and wrote my name down on his pack of gum +4, so I would be on their guest list.  

Eugene was the same set at much smaller, less crowded venue.  When Velvet Waltz was on deck I noticed the guy next to me got his camera out.  He filmed the entire song, and all I could think was, “God I want a copy of that.”  Well it was just a few weeks ago, after continuously searching Velvet Waltz on youtube, that it finally appeared.  Here is Built to Spill’s Velvet Waltz, live at the McDonald Theater in Eugene on September 6, 2008.  Enjoy.

if there’s a word for you
it doesn’t mean anything
I’ve got some words for you
they don’t offer anything
you cold called everybody
but you haven’t sold a thing
a bad idea gone funny
a pinch felt in a dream
you thought of everything but some things can’t be thought
you thought of everything but one thing you forgot is you’re wrong 

and you better not be angry
and you better not be sad
you better just enjoy the luxury of sympathy
if that’s a luxury you have
and you know no private bad
you know that that’s the meaning of you’re done
in a world that’s not so bad
in a world time was killing in the sun
in a world that’s not so bad
in a world time was killing in the sun
in the sun
in the sun
you took all that moment
and you kept it in the sun
now it’s gone because you left it in the sun
was a brave idea
didn’t mean no harm
now it’s burnt because you left it in the sun
was a grave mistake
but how could you have known
the temperature, the distance of the sun

Renowned indie rockers Built to Spill were in Dublin at long last yesterday evening. In an era when most bands hit these shores several times a year, Doug Martsch and the gang like to starve you instead. The show was laden with wave upon wave of guitar-riff goodness from opening songs Randy Described Eternity, I Would Hurt A Fly, and Stop The Show to the anthemic Kicked It In The Sun. A near capacity crowd at Whelan’s were lapping it up like cats who have just found the cream.

As you may have guessed by now, Built to Spill have been touring their visionary 1997 album Perfect From Now On across North America and Europe. They have been joined by the original cellist John McMahon in order to produce a more faithful sound. Last night, though, was the final one of the 50-odd-show tour and that probably showed a little in Martsch’s tired-sounding remark that they only had one more song that they “had to play” before the band could cut loose with their final batch of encores.

Indeed, the encores were certainly worth hanging about for! Other than Battle’s Atlas, it is hard to think of another song that generates as much bounce-along excitement and lost-in-the-moment intensity as Goin’ Against Your Mind. It towered like a Colossus above every other song on the night in terms of its urgent and pressing energy.

The other encore has been causing a typical blogosphere firestorm recently. Last night, it turned into a 15-minute extravaganza that began as a cover of M.I.A.’s Paper Planes, but soon became a series of freeform instrumental grooves. The support band Disco Doom were invited back onstage halfway through and various instruments get swapped around. This sees Martsch end up on the cello. They ended it with Martsch handing his guitar out into the crowd and Brett Netson taking several stabs at smashing his guitar on the ground. Catcalls for McMahon’s cello to suffer the same fate fortunately go unheeded though.

The magic and the frustration of seing Built to Spill live is that you always want them to play one more song. In saying that, last night did feel a little short despite being a solid ninety-minute set! Anyway, with a new album out in the spring, we may not have to wait so long again before we are fed.

By the way, Swiss band Disco Doom are also well worth checking out. Their current album is called Dream Electric and a few songs from it can be streamed here.

Here’s a guy that is way into the music–and we can’t blame him for that!

I promise I will post something that is interesting (or interesting to me at least…), but tradition prevails so here’s my “Musical Obsession of the Week”.

Allright this week has been a quite the musical mashup for me, so choosing one album was hard. My play time was torn between TV on the Radio’s Return to Cookie Mountain (a rediscovery of sorts), Beck’s Odelay! (still), and The Flaming Lip’s Soft Bulletin (honorable mention). All are amazing; some may show up in later weeks.

However, the one that really dominated my CD player was Built to Spill’s Keep it Like a Secret.

So yea, Built to Spill. Awesome band. Been listening for aboot a year now but I never bothered to download this album. I had previously only listened to Ancient Melodies of the Future and There’s Nothing Wrong With Love. I bought the CD out of curiosity (or possibly boredom), and it’s probably my favorite Built to Spill album now.

Highlights

This is another album where pretty much every song is solid, but if I had to truncate half of it, here’s what I’d keep.

Center of the Universe umm, awesome guitar riff? Yes.

Carry the Zero is AMAZING. Like seriously, favorite BTS song ever. I can’t find a good youtube link so here’s a stream from someone’s blog.

Bad Light is probably coming in at second.

Else has it’s catchy guitar riff engraved in my brain. Seriously I find myself humming it subconsciously all the time.

Temporarily Blind contains more delicious guitar goodness. Really though I’m starting to sound repetitive, BTS has plenty of guitar goodness in every song they make.

Conclusion

Just some straight indie rock/alternative music here. I personally think Doug Martsch’s guitar work is tops. I’d say that it makes up for the sort of weak lyrics and vocals. ;P

Built to Spill doesn’t disappoint me here. 10$ well spent.

Also, in the future, I think I’ll just stick to plugging the album and leaving some links instead of adding my little analysis of each song. I’m just not good at it.

]]> http://ubiquitously.wordpress.com/2008/06/14/built-to-spill-theres-nothing-wrong-with-love/ Sat, 14 Jun 2008 23:21:35 +0000 Corey http://ubiquitously.wordpress.com/2008/06/14/built-to-spill-theres-nothing-wrong-with-love/