About
Once revered by the indie cognoscenti as the new messiah, Built to Spill
founder Doug Martsch and his revolving lineup consistently deliver skewed
pop made of bold guitars and Martsch's adolescent croon. There's Nothing
Wrong with Love (1994), went a long way towards shaping the sound of
early indie rock, while Perfect From Now On (1997) saw Martsch and
friends experimenting with longer prog rock arrangements. Keep It Like a
Secret (1999) marked a return to more focused pop, while the band's live
shows sought to balance the epic with the concise. One of these sets (which
includes a 20-minute nod to Neil Young's "Cortez the Killer") was finally
documented on 2000's Live. Another trip to the studio in 2001,
resulted in Ancient Melodies of the Future, featuring the group's
signature spiraling guitars, reigned in by irresistible melodies. After
that, Martsch took a break from BTS to play basketball, catch up on his
reading and listen to old blues records. It would be five long years before
the finishing touches were sprinkled onto 2006's You in Reverse, then three more before the release of the band's seventh studio album, 2009's There Is No Enemy.
- Michele K-Tel
