What's Up! Magazine

Built to Spill

In 2001, at the tender age of 15, my friends and I got to experience our first “cool” indie rock concert at the Showbox in Seattle. It was the first time that I was breaking away from the juvenile punk and ska shows that permeated my youth. A chance to get to the city with a group of girls, away from the watchful eyes of parents, and to see a real band that older, college-age siblings would talk about was too good to resist. It did not matter that I was not that familiar with their output. My friend had burned me a copy of one of their albums, There’s Nothing Wrong with Love, and I really liked the song “Big Dipper.” The music featured loud guitars but was not crunchy or overdriven, and the lead singer sang like he was about my age. This show was really going to be amazing, I was sure of it. I would remember it as a perfect snapshot of teenage rock ‘n’ roll debauchery and grace. And Built to Spill was going to provide that soundtrack.

Wow, I was wrong. My favorite new band’s lead singer was bald and sported a long beard. The group hardly played any songs that I loved on my burned CD, and the audience was strange; most of them seemed a lot older than me, and none of them pogoed or moshed, they just nodded their heads while the band played endless guitar solos. What kind of concert is this? If this is musical maturity then I want no part of it.

Built to Spill have come a long way since their Boise, Idaho inception in 1992. My musical education has also come a long way (I hope), and I have seen them four times since that first concert, with every single show improving as I get older. After 1994’s There’s Nothing Wrong with Love, major labels came knocking, which began the band’s heyday. A slew of incredible albums were released in the following years. 1997 saw the release of the epic, guitar opus Perfect From Now On, which garnered them high critical praise. The album is comprised of eight tracks that are mostly over six minutes long, and began the group’s many forays into taking the Neil Young/Dinosaur Jr. style rock jam into unheard territories. This record, along with its poppier, but no less interesting, little brother Keep it Like a Secret, cemented the band as the new torchbearers of Northwest indie rock. Finding these albums as a teenager was huge, and to this day they are still in heavy rotation.

My personal obsession with Built to Spill has subsequently waned, but I have always come to rely on their music being consistent and comforting. They recently released a new full length, There is No Enemy, which features some of the familiar and always welcome tropes of their other albums; headman Doug Martsch’s high twang, incredibly catchy guitar melodies, and the occasional string arrangement. At this point the band has no need to reach new fans as they have established themselves, in their 17-year career, as the elder statesmen of Northwest rock. Their influence is far reaching and their sound has been used by bands like Modest Mouse and Death Cab for Cutie to achieve far greater popularity and commercial success.

Built to Spill live is an entirely different animal. The emphasis is always on the guitar, with Martsch relying on his instrument to do most of the singing for him. They are known for often extending their songs to great lengths, but this does not mean that they enter into the dangerous realm of “jam.” The guitar solos are never aimless noodling, but more like catchy riffs piled on top of each other with the least amount of notes possible. In the world of Doug Martsch’s guitar, less is more. Melody takes precedence over virtuosity.

A great introductory course to the Built to Spill live show is their seminal live album, released in 2000. Each time I have seen their shows they have varied in style and tone, and it is safe to say that the experience is never the same twice. The concert on WWU’s campus two years ago was surprisingly one of the best shows I have seen them put on. The usually poor sound quality, coupled with squirrely college students does not always make for the best concert experience. But the band was in top form, with the three guitars on stage sounding crystal clear and beautiful. Left-field covers are also hidden treasures of their live show; at the campus show they played Brian Eno’s frantic “Third Uncle,” which was one of the many highlights.

It was eight years ago since I saw Built to Spill that first night in that dark bar, and a lot has changed, but not that much. On Nov. 17 at the Nightlight, I get to stand, with a legal beer in my hand, and watch and hope they play “Big Dipper” all over again. The show is a must-see, and the Nightlight will provide the perfect setting to experience these Northwest legends.

Visit the band at www.builttospill.com.