Built To Spill

"There Is No Enemy"

08 February 2010, 07:55 | Written by Steve Lampiris

(Albums)

(Built To Spill)

Everyone seems to have written off Built To Spill at some point during this last decade for one reason or another, be it the (undeservedly) cool reception of either Ancient Melodies of the Future or You In Reverse, Doug Martsch’s solo effort Now You Know, or just the supposed fact that the band isn’t what it used to be. But people change and priorities shift. Thus, we “welcome” back the band that never actually left with There Is No Enemy.Doug Martsch’s trademark fly-locked-in-a-house noodling only appears once on side A (‘Good Ol’ Boredom’). This is both a shame because it’s a ”“ if not the ”“ cornerstone of the band’s sound and a pleasure because it slightly closes off that part of the band’s sound which results in putting the band’s fantastic songwriting on greater display. Not that BTS didn’t write terrific songs before, certainly they did. But here, as with Keep It Like A Secret, it’s clear that the band is more than just three guys writing three-minute songs that spiral into eight-minute guitar wankery. While it does feature some superb blue-flame playing (more on that later), the less-is-more approach allows the band to roam foreign countryside. There’s a little bit of punk (‘Pat’), a little bit of country (‘Nowhere Lullaby’), a little bit of shoegaze (‘Oh Yeah’) and a little bit of rockabilly (‘Boredom’).Sure, they’ve tried all of these elements before, but it’s so much more potent when they’re all in one place. Side B fares better for those who desire the spacey side of the band. The rhythm section of ‘Things Fall Apart’ swirls and floats around in a vacuum of Martsch’s guitar work. The melody of ‘Done’ staggers back and forth in the corner while the lead guitar track explores the entire stage with its waltz-like personality. Then there’s ‘Tomorrow,’ which contains a guitar solo that hisses and screeches at reality in an effort to reach the stars.Life seems to be the predominant topic of discussion here, with the band contending that, you know what, it just ain’t that interesting after all. It’s kinda just there, existing as any other entity on Earth. That doesn’t preclude the band from commenting on aspects of life (or life in general, anyway), however. Take the aforementioned ‘Things,’ for example: “It doesn’t matter if you’re good or smart/ Goddamn, things fall apart/ Let’s go for a walk, yeah, let’s go for a drive/ Don’t know how to say, ‘Thanks for being alive’” Or how about the concession the band makes during ‘Life’s A Dream’: “Common wants only fill me up with need/ Everybody in this world is just like me” and later “Finally decided, and by decide I mean accept/ I don’t need all those other chances I won’t get.” But perhaps the most honest thing Martsch sings during the entire record is found in ‘Pat’: Pat, we know you fucked up/ But we don’t care you fucked up/ Everybody’s fucked up”OK, here’s the thing: It’s a Built To Spill record so, essentially, you know what you’re gonna get even before you hear it: guitar hero-based indie rock with Doug Martsch occasionally waxing philosophical. That’s not meant to be a stab at the band. Really, how many modern bands can you name with at least half a dozen records that haven’t made a bad one? That’s one short list, to be sure. And, certainly, BTS is on it. Life may be all sorts of fucked up to Built To Spill, but on There Is No Enemy the band seems gracious enough for its inspiration anyway.