The charming, ramshackle collection of the band’s earliest material from ’93-’95, originally written to take Treepeople in a new direction, has many flashes of who the band would become. 9, and to celebrate the impossibly consistent career of an unassuming rock hero, we’ve ranked the band’s deep catalog. No matter how well you remember them, you’re compelled to listen again, to follow the winding threads to their dizzying climaxes.īuilt to Spill’s ninth full-length album-their first for fellow PNW stalwarts Sub Pop- When The Wind Forgets Your Name comes out today, Sept. Martsch’s warbly tenor and his purposeful jamming may recall Neil Young in places, but the sound he created is so distinctive that each album feels like a fresh mystery unfolding every time it gets played. Modesty aside, that melodic guitar playing is exactly what Built to Spill gave to indie rock-an oft-imitated blend of classic rock and East Coast indie rock, filtered through a laid-back psychedelia. I never really had the greatest tone and skills at all. Mascis was really big for me, and Neil Young, too.

“I grew up with bands that had lead guitar players and guitar solos. In a recent interview with Steven Hyden at Uproxx, Martsch expressed, with typical modesty, how perplexed he is at his reputation as a guitar god. At this point, he has inspired as many aspiring guitarists as his own guitar heroes like J. If there were a Mount Rushmore for riffs, Built to Spill would need their own separate Mount Rushmore. Over nine full-length albums and one singles collection, Martsch has etched an iconic sound into indie rock. He wanted to have freedom of movement to new cities, as well as creative freedom, and not locking himself into a specific lineup would afford him that. His band began with a specific philosophy: Each album would be recorded with entirely different personnel, other than Martsch himself. While playing in the influential Boise band Treepeople, Martsch formed Built to Spill and departed from Treepeople shortly after.

The beauty and the mystery of what Doug Martsch does is how these humble goals alchemize into such colossal, gorgeous albums. He is content to be an unobtrusive background for the endless supply of kick-ass riffs. He is alternately endearing and heady, but he doesn’t care about being the sage hero of his own songs. He insists that his aim is simple-to create a good melody and to make sure the words aren’t distracting-but his songs often unfold into expansive interrogations of life, purpose, the universe, and how our past informs our future. His melody first, lyrics later approach is a perfect encapsulation of Built to Spill’s understated power. To me, it’s important that music has singing, and that the singing is actual words, and that the words, they have to be at least okay. If I could get out of the lyrics game I would. I’m not really a storyteller and I’m not really a lyricist. When asked in 2015 why he doesn’t talk about the meaning of his songs, Martsch replied, “Well, because a lot already don’t have any meaning, or the meanings they do have are often more subconscious connections than actual meanings. For the three decades Built to Spill has existed, he has insisted that his goal with lyrics is just to make sure they’re not bad or embarrassing.

Slacker and steve