Built to Spill is the project of Doug Martsch out of Boise, ID. Martsch founded the group in 1992 with the intent of having a collaborative, ever-evolving group of artists and musicians. After a handful of releases on Sub Pop offshoot Up Records in the early to mid 90s, Martsch signed to Warner Bros, which was the bands label between 1995 and 2016.
The band returned to the Sub Pop circle in 2022 with When the Wind Forgets Your Name, which subsequently earned acclaim on my (Andy’s) Best of 2022 list. In fact, Built to Spill has been a mainstay for me since the ’90s, when Perfect From Now On became a massively influential album in my life. It was among the albums that spurned the passion for discovery new music into an obsession.
Below you’ll find a variety of posts, album reviews, 7″ single reviews, features, and lists on FensePost featuring Built to Spill.
Brett and I met up a little before 9:30pm at KSVR, spent a few minutes catching up, then organized the selection of records we would play that night. It was a first for me — having a co-host — and it turned out to be a blast. Friday nights from 10pm to midnight can be lonely and I don’t get many calls, so having someone else in the studio to talk to was definitely an enjoyable experience.
Read More »Fense’s Radio Show: November 2, 2012
I like weird. When it comes to music, I can think of a few oddities in my collection. Most, however center around cover art. There’s the John Travolta LP Can’t Let You Go, which came in at #15 on Cracked’s list of The 19 Most Hilariously Failed Attempts at Sexy Album Covers. I also dig the conceptual, which Fishboy has come to do quite well. The Electronic Anthology Project fits both molds — the band’s self-titled debut EP is conceptually weird.
Read More »The Electronic Anthology Project [Feature]
2009 is a tough year to judge. I’ve checked out more albums this year than any year in the past. Well over 1,000. And there have been quite a few great ones as well. When this list began, it had 110 albums. I abandoned my top 33 and 1/3 for 45, and then said “screw it” and upped the number to an even 50. These are the top notch albums of the year, all worthy of praise.
Read More »FensePost Top 50: The Best Albums of 2009
The second installment of A Retrospective, in which I recap my favorite albums released from 2000 to 2008, this time: 2001. Wrought with turmoil and watching a life fall apart as so many others were having similar experiences but in a different manner; that was 2001 for you. The year I turned 21. A year that lives in infamy. Young or old, we all seemed to grow up that year. Music, too seemed to progress in ways unthought, even before that fateful day.
Read More »A Retrospective Top 15: Best Albums Of 2001
To think back over a career of an artist like Built To Spill is, to an extent, the same as doing it for Radiohead or Death Cab For Cutie. Albums come and go, and they’re all pretty damn great; they all hold their own, unique special place in your heart. Revisiting the old albums bring back memories of where you first heard it, or experiences you had while it blasted over your speakers. Sure, you have your favorite(s) and likely one you don’t care for too much. Perfect From Now On has been, in my opinion, their strongest album since its release in 1997. There Is No Enemy, their latest, gives Perfect a run for its money.
Read More »Built To Spill: There Is No Enemy [Album Review]
I’ve decided to create an installment in which I do a recap of my favorite albums of the past ten years now that we’re coming up on the turn-of-decade – yes, 2010 is upon us.
The key: I do them one at a time.
I figure contemplating the weight of albums that have been instituted in my library for the better part (or even just half) of a decade would warrant a skewed opinion when comparing them to those released just this month. And, as these things are all truly opinion-based, well I just couldn’t have that.
Read More »A Retrospective Top 15: Best Albums Of 2000
