"I looked up self-indulgence when I read a review of a Neil Young show I attended," says Doug Martsch, the man who, amidst constantly shifting line-ups, is Built To Spill. "The reviewer called the best part of the show, a long beautiful guitar solo, self-indulgent. When applied to music it means without control or direction. This guy was wrong."
A lot of musicians who grew up in the American hardcore scene of the '80s might think, actually, the guy was right. And Martsch, for a while, was one of them. In Boise, Idaho, where he grew up, a thriving hardcore scene dominated local rock clubs. He joined one of its most prominent acts, State Of Confusion, before moving to Seattle to form proto-grungesters Treepeople.
But Martsch's curiosity led him beyond these narrow confines to acts like The Smiths, David Bowie, REM and, most significantly, another band who broke the punk rules, Dinosaur Jr. He set up Built To Spill in 1993, and it was J Mascis' formidable guitar excursions that made him understand that punk rock sensibilities could be mixed with classic rock, without losing any of their impact.
"Doug is like the third of the holy triumvirate," says Christof Ellinghaus, who signed BTS to his City Slang label. "First there was Neil Young, then there was J Mascis, and now there's Doug himself. But each of them has their own thing going on, and what Built To Spill does is totally unique."
On their first two albums, 1993's shaky Ultimate Alternative Wavers and the considerably more refined There's Nothing Wrong With Love, it was Martsch's voice that drew comparisons with Young; the deliberately scruffy charms of songs like "Car" and "In The Morning" were closer to Pavement or the Flaming Lips. Nowadays he's ambivalent about such early recordings. "Some aspects, like my voice, make me cringe," he admits, "but there's a lot of stuff I'm proud of. Mostly, though, it's hard to listen to old stuff because I hear things that could have been done better."
Martsch is also pretty self-deprecating about live shows from that time. In 1995, the band opened for the Foo Fighters on their European tour. Dave Grohl might have been enthusiastic about BTS, but his fans were less keen. Apparently enraged by the presence of a cello onstage and Martsch's sensitive and complex songs, the audiences regularly rewarded the band with a hail of missiles. "We had bad responses that whole tour," he observes now, "partly because we were playing with the Foo Fighters, but also because we just weren't that good."
Built To Spill did not return to Europe until 1999, an absence Martsch ascribes to a fear of flying. In the meantime, though, he had made his masterpiece. On 1997's Perfect From Now On, Martsch confidently staked out his territory: elaborate epics with a three-pronged guitar assault, a sort of jam band for indie rockers. Producer Phil Ek, who subsequently recorded The Shins and Fleet Foxes, calls it "pure genius". Ellinghaus reckons it is, "The biggest leap I've ever witnessed in terms of artistic development". And even the reticent Martsch admits, "I don't know if it's our best album, but I think it's the best one to play." Which explains why the band are tackling it in its entirety for a Don't Look Back show in London.
"Doug's hilarious, really outgoing, and also relaxed and very articulate," says Ek, who worked with the band on five albums. "His music is just like him. They work efficiently and experimentally. Doug likes to work hard, but he also wants to get it done as soon as possible."
For Keep It Like Secret, Martsch streamlined the extravagances and kept the songs relatively short. But while their reputation as one of the key alternative bands in the US kept growing, BTS' profile in Europe withered so completely that Ancient Melodies Of The Future (2001) was not even released here. Martsch was so busy with touring Ancient Melodies in the US, and then with a folk and blues-inspired solo album (Now You Know), that he claims he didn't notice.
"I've never spent too much time thinking into the future," he explains nonchalantly, "and I don't pay much attention to what's going on in music."
Martsch remains, though, unafraid of acknowledging his heroes. On "You Were Right" (from 1999's Keep It Like A Secret), he references Kansas, Pink Floyd and Jimi Hendrix in swift succession: "You were right when you said all we are is dust in the wind / you were right when you said we are all just bricks in the wall / and when you said manic depression's a frustrating mess." It's the unabashed influence of Neil Young that is most enduring, however, and a 20-minute version of "Cortez The Killer" on 2000's Live album proves that, unlike most contemporary guitarists who aspire to the company of Young, Martsch actually deserves the comparison.
"We like to jam," he says, not unlike his hero, "and when you improvise there's always the risk of failing. We make the records exactly as we want, and tour when and where we want. We don't make any compromises that are troubling."
Your Cup Spilleth Over: CDs Built To Last
There’s Nothing Wrong With Love (1994)
4/5
Hailed by the press but shunned by Cool Britannia’s citizens, Martsch’s second album offered angular, jangling indie-rock drawing comparisons to Pavement and Neil Young. “Wanna see movies of my dreams”, pleads the cello-embellished ‘Car’. We got soundtracks instead.
Perfect From Now On (1997)
5/5
Less ‘Harvest’, more ‘Like A Hurricane’. US label Warners got into the spirit, releasing ‘Untrustable Part 2’ over two sides of a 7” to emphasise Perfect’s radio-unfriendly sprawling ambition. Tempo changes, poignant and existential lyrics, colossal riffery, poise and perfection.
Live (2000)
4/5
Even without the explosive 19 minute ‘Broken Chairs’ and an apocalyptic 20 minute ‘Cortez The Killer’ cover, this would be a perfect introduction to a perfect live band. ‘Car’ is souped up, and ‘Randy Described Eternity’ does just what it says on the tin.
You In Reverse (2007)
4/5
A welcome return after five years, with most songs over five minutes, including the thunderous nine minute ‘Goin’ Against Your Mind’. ‘Conventional Wisdom’ goes all Tom Verlaine, while ‘Mess with Time’ even swings from Mascis-style soloing to reggae.
