Built To Spill poll

they were an incredibly boring live band, you didn't miss much

i guess unless you really like aimless guitar solos

Hardcore fans: is Doug a Xtian?

I always got the impression from Perfect From Now On that he was atheist (or at least agnostic). The lyrics to 'Oh Yeah' seem pretty unambiguous too ...

I don't think they've broken up or anything, have they?

I saw them twice and loved them, for the most part. What killed it for me was the second time I saw them, they played this long (in my memory) video of an eco-terrorist justifying his actions overtop of the band just jamming on stage for what seemed like 10 minutes. It was an uncomfortable moment for the audience.

i guess unless you really like aimless guitar solos

― congratulations (n/a), Wednesday, February 23, 2011 8:23 AM (14 minutes ago) Bookmark

see, well...

doug was incredibly friendly when i interviewed him a couple years ago. ended up asking me questions! very much a regular dude imo. don't think he's a xtian.
love 'em live, though maybe some people wouldn't tolerate the guitar jamz. i like guitar jamz.

actually tho, come to think of it, they were terrible the first time i saw them play (96-97?). seemed extremely under-rehearsed. otherwise, they've been awesome.

yeah one of my fave albums of theirs is LIVE and the most listened to track on it for me was always Cortez the Killer

which is like 25min of jamz

yeah it jamz so hard.

My GF in the late 90s 2 most favorite bands were Modest Mouse and Built to Spill. I knew Doug from his days in the Treepeople but lost interest with most of Ultimate Alternative Wavers and the Nothing Wrong With Love which is where my GF jumped on and dragged me to see them everytime they came to town (same with Modest Mouse). I really wasn't interested in that kinda music, I was kinda deeper into post-rock/minimalism/experimental at the time (Laddio Bollocko was our happy medium). So now I'm hearing these records for the first time and kinda lovin them! Keep It Like A Secret is def underrated on this poll, it's worth revisiting.

Also, BtS seemed to go through phases live where they were more structured and then later tours got really loose and free (probably my least favorite times I saw them, the Cortez cover was the worst!!!) and then tightened up again. I saw them probably 10 times?

Oh I forgot the punchline, that XGF now is kinda reknown for her minimalism/experimental music these days.

4 some reason i think i know all the words to 'twin falls' the wistful 1983 is like an abyss

keep it is def tighter & better than perfect imo but nothing beats nothing

i kind of disliked keep it like a secret when it came out --something about the shinier (kinda generic alt-rocky i thought) production values put me off. sounds great now, though.

same reaction as you, tyler, to Secret, except I've never come around on it except for "Broken Chairs" which I like more on Live anyway---kinda think Live is the one record by this band I need except for "Velvet Waltz" which is such a fuckin jam.

the live record really is stellar -- that version of the halo benders' "reel around the fountain" is incredible, too.

keep it like a secret was the first built 2 spill album i ever heard so i didnt even really notice the production but idk if built to spill were ever the most interesting or distinctive sounding band they just have some sweet fukken songs

i havent heard the live album

yeah, i mean, i don't really hear the production probs on secret that i heard back then -- i remember my friend and i going "what is this -- everclear?" but it doesn't really sound like that to me now.

"Time Trap"'s bassline is kinda like a more-melodic take on the main guitar line of Slint's "Washer"

idk if built to spill were ever the most interesting or distinctive sounding band they just have some sweet fukken songs

this, pretty much. I love them, but I kinda think of them as being 90s dad-rock in a way

yeah

found KILAS disappointing at the time, mainly because it wasn't so overdub-crazy as Perfect, but in the years since I've come to really appreciate it. Their last album was pretty great as well...

pfno was a huge event in my 90s. i haven't heard it in quite a while, but for many weeks, i listened to nothing else. i liked tnwwl and kilas, but they were not even close to pfno for me.

kinda surprised some dude is a BTS fan

― kl0p's son (k3vin k.), Wednesday, February 23, 2011 12:57 AM (15 hours ago) Bookmark

i'm not, really. i fished Keep It out of a used bin when it was new, was turned off by it at first but it's grown on me over time and i love a few songs on it but don't really rep for it hardcore. got Perfect later and saw one of their shows with they played it in its entirety but just cannot get into that record.