Pitchfork Spotlight: Built to Spill

On Friday night, I will finally get to see one of the bands that had a pivotal role in changing what sort of music I listened to. Built to Spill, has been teasing us for three years now with the hint of a follow up release to 2006's You In Reverse. Doug Martsch's constant experimentation and intricately conducted guitar play has evolved into a well versed orchestrated retrospective of Built to Spill's catalog of albums thus far. The band is based out of Boise, Idaho and from what recent reports have stated has undergone a face lift that should result in a BTS record that is like no other. Friday being, "Write the Night" evening of fan decided set lists, Martsch has hinted not to expect new and upcoming tracks but an evening of all our old favorites. In 2008, the band played for a select few shows in it's entirety, Perfect From Now On.

The lyrics in Built to Spill songs read very much like a personal recounting of experiences both good and bad of what is seeming a pessimistic hopeless romantic. All introverted guys alike unite as a cape of courage is unveiled in Martsch's music writing. Already a band, not to sound unPC very masculine with long dreamy guitar shredding tales; the lyrics are a wonderful compliment exhibiting subjects and themes that vary from constellations and love to the self awareness of an aging man and his natural responses to his surroundings. For me personally, I relate to his lyrics in the sense that our lives are a series of instances and experiences but we enter this world alone and leave it the same way, and everything in the middle may not be the best but at least we paved a direction for ourselves.

"Else" is the internal patter of a man's excitement to feel an exhilarated sense of something new. The surprising elation after a previous breakup has lost hope and is renewed by the way she touches your hand. The nervousness that shoots through your body and has you wobbly at your knees....