Albums I Love: Perfect From Now On

There is probably no other album that has affected me as profoundly as Built To Spill's Perfect From Now On. It is easily one of my top three personal favourite albums of all time. Back around the beginning of this decade, I got my first real exposure to indie rock as a great friend and roommate at the time would be jamming Modest Mouse and Built To Spill incessantly. At first I hated it, especially Issac Brock's vocals. I talked so much smack about these bands, and then one day after listening to them over and over, something inside me clicked. Suddenly, the more I listened to those two bands, the more I enjoyed them. It was at that point where I lost interest in the jambands, classic rock, and techno I had been listening to after initially coming to college. These new bands I discovered seemed to have so much depth compared to everything else I had been listening to at the time, and I basked in the ecstasy that can only be felt appreciating music as art.

Simultaneously as I was starting to embrace and explore good, progressive music, I was also going through a period of self discovery and trying to figure out what my life was all about. At almost the exact moment I got obsessed with Perfect From Now On, I had a spiritual epiphany of sorts, and listening to this album was instrumental towards that occurring. While I know that Doug Martsch is always downplaying the importance of lyrics in interviews, PFNO is one of the most brilliantly conceived and executed concept albums ever written; metaphysically epic yet simple words armed with beautiful melodies and long, complex song structures that no other album, BTS or otherwise, has come close to reproducing again. While classics like Darkside Of The Moon and OK Computer dealt with similar questions central to our existence, they failed to provide any real path to deal with these issues. Perfect From Now On not only takes you on a similar journey of despair, but also contains a framework for addressing these problems. And not in a preachy, tell-you-what-I-think way, but in a more abstract method where different listeners can reach different verdicts based on their own interpretations and experiences. The music I love the most is the sort that can be successful and enjoyable on as many different levels as possible, and it is hard for me to think of another album that conquers the multitude of emotions and aesthetics that this one does.

I managed to snag some tickets for ATP New York and I am ecstatic to catch Built To Spill performing this album. If you have never listened to this one, obviously I can't recommend it enough:

Built To Spill : Perfect From Now On : Kicked It In The Sun



"Stop The Show":



"Velvet Waltz":



Here is an instrumental jam session that Doug and Brett Netson did on Record Store Day in Boise, Idaho as a bonus:

DOUG MARTSCH & BRETT NETSON of
BUILT TO SPILL
19 April 2008
Boise, Idaho
Record Exchange
National Independent Record Store Day - In-store appearance

Sonic Studios DSM-6s > Sonic Studios PA-6LC3 (middle bass roll-off setting) > iRiver H120

No setlist - improvised jam

Track 1

Track 2

Track 3

Track 4

Track 5

Track 6

Track 7


Download Lossless Audio Torrent Here

Download Video Torrent Here

Langerado 2008 Day 2: Friday

Friday morning started with some early cocktails and chilling at the camp site. So far, this has been a larger battle against the environment than a typical fest. While I was initially worried about alligators, snakes, and mosquitoes, it turns out the most menacing wildlife is evil swamp ants with a nasty stinging bite. Between that, the "Rainarado" weather elements and the logistical issues that seemed to have plagued a fest at a new venue for the first time, it has made for an interesting adventure, but I firmly believe a great road trip requires obstacles to conquer, so it has been fun overcoming them.

The first band I caught were The Walkmen. I had not really heard these guys at all before going, but I decided to check them out because they were touring with Vampire Weekend. I thought they did a decent set, but they are not really my style.









After that, I walked around taking in the vibe. The festival area is really huge, which is good for sound between stages but bad for walking the long distances. I casually caught some of Ozomatli and The Wailers. They both did very typical sets, not really something that I can stay interested in for long.









After a little campsite rally, I headed to the far away "Chickee Hut" for !!!. They put on an energetic and captivating performance. The dancer/singer dude and the woman with the mohawk went crazy for the whole show, jumping off the stage at points and coming down to the audience. I really dug the double drummer setup. I think the "drumline" concept is something that is underrated and something I enjoy when I see because it is rare in pop music.







Built To Spill came on next and did one of the best shows I've ever seen them do. It was as if they said "Hey, you hippies think you know what a jamband is? No, we're gonna show you what a jamband is." The epic hour set was pure sonic bliss for me as they roared through great tunes like "Time Trap", "Stab", and closed with a "Carry The Zero" superjam. Everything they did was filled to the brim with stunning guitar solos, even adding an extra ending to "Conventional Wisdom". Not only was this the best performance of the fest so far, but I think this is the best show I've seen all year. If you are in Atlanta, don't make the mistake of not going to the BTS show Wednesday night at Variety Playhouse.









I went to catch the Beastie Boys next, but after the overwhelming badassity of the previous BTS set, I was totally not feeling it and dipped out to the campsite to party. I skipped the late night sets as word of a tornado watch spread. I was awoken late night by an incredibly intense storm that obliterated our camp. The storm actually destroyed the media tent, so I'm blogging in the open air today struggling to see my monitor. Well, it is time to catch more music, keep it here for updates.

Langerado 2008 Preview

Langerado just released the schedule today and it looks pretty good. Here is my personalized schedule so far. If you are still on the fence whether to go to this one, I'm gonna go through some of the smaller acts that I'm really excited about. The first band on the "Swamp Stage" is right here from Altanta, Dead Confederate. I believe they are going to be one of the ATL bands that get big nationally by the end of this year (they were handpicked to open for R.E.M. at SXSW), because their new EP is really awesome. Jam this track and pick up this EP:

Dead Confederate : The Rat




Vampire Weekend is another band that is on the super-hype lately in blogland. While I enjoy their new album, I think it is one of those "good but not great". They are just a little too gimmicky and lacking a tad bit in substance. Regardless of that, though, I'm very excited to see them live because I think they will be pretty cool to see. Check them out:

Vampire Weekend : Walcott




An album I really enjoyed from last year is !!!'s Myth Takes. They are organic dance rock that sort of sound like a an indie-rock version of STS9 or those sorts of bands with lyrics/vocals. I've been wanting to catch them live for so long because I've heard how much fun their shows are. If 311 isn't quite your bag, or you've seen them like 10 times like me, this band is really worth checking out:

!!! (chk chk chk) : Break In Case Of Anything




So, one of the biggest draws to Langerado for me is Built To Spill. They are one of my all time favourite bands. Since I have like a million BTS live shows, this seems like a good time to share one. Behold 1999-05-09 (Early Show):

1. Made Up Dreams
2. Center of The Universe
3. Kicked it In The Sun
4. Reasons
5. I Would Hurt A Fly
6. Twin Falls/Some (instrumetal)
7. You Were Right
8. One Thing
9. Terrible/Perfect
10. Car
11. Big Dipper

Blitzen Trapper was a band that was full of blog buzz last year. A little bit country, a little rock 'n' roll, a little bit weird:

Blitzen Trapper : Devil's A-Go-Go




The Benevento-Russo Duo is one of my favourite jambands. The keyboard/drums power duo that backed up Trey and Mike of Phish are not only a great live show, but they are one of the few hippy bands who know how to make a great album too. Check them:

The Benevento-Russo Duo : Play Pause Stop




Pelican is a post-metal band that I really got into last year. You were probably thinking that Bonnaroo was the only hippy fest this year to bring in some metal, but you were wrong:

Pelican : City of Echoes




Dan Deacon is another big draw to Langerado for me because he is so awesome. He was just here in the ATL last month, so you should check out our review and jam him:

Dan Deacon : Wham City


Minus The Bear is another artist that had an album in out Top 50 album list from last year. They do music that sounds very radio-friendly and accessible, but has some serious musical depth:

Minus The Bear : Burying Luck




Finally, a band that I was totally obsessed with last year was Of Montreal. I caught them plenty of times last year, but they are so good live I can't wait to see them again. If you go to Langerado, be sure to catch this:






So, now go get tickets to Langerado and we'll party down!

Langerado Website

Built To Spill Hits The A In March

One of my favourite bands, Built To Spill, will be at The Variety Playhouse on March 12th. When they came through last year, Doug Martsch did an acoustic set outside the front doors for everyone before the show, and even went around looking for BTS fans who didn't have tickets to the sold out show and put them on the guest list:



Coincidentally, I was listening to the BTS show from 2005 at The Variety Playhouse last night, so here it is for you:

Saturday, May 21st, 2005
Variety Playhouse, Atlanta GA

Built to Spill
Stab
Strange
The Plan
When Not Being Stupid Is Not Enough
Goin' Against Your Mind
I Would Hurt a Fly
Distopian Dream Girl
Virginia Reel Around the Fountain [the Halo Benders]
Alien Fugue [Caustic Resin]
Big Dipper
Velvet Waltz
Sidewalk
Carry the Zero

encore:
Stop the Show

Mike Johnson and the Evildoers opened.

Brett Netson of Caustic Resin played with the band.

Live Show: Built To Spill (7-1-1999)

Labor day weekend as i was driving through the mountains, I pulled a random BTS live show out from my collection of bajillions and found a real gem. So, here it is for you:

Built To Spill
1999-07-01
Bahnhof Langendreer
Bochum, Germany

01. The Plan [5:26]
02. Temporarily Blind [4:59]
03. Stop The Show [4:44]
04. In The Morning [3:15]
05. Kicked It In The Sun [7:42]
06. One Thing [4:17]
07. Twin Falls / Some (instrumental) [6:56]
08. Time Trap [5:58]
09. I Would Hurt A Fly [6:19]
10. Untrustable [9:05]
11. Car [3:29]
12. Carry The Zero [6:39]
13. Get A Life [10:57]

Band Members:
Scott Plouf - drummer
Brett Nelson - bass
Jim Roth - guitar
Doug Martsch - vox, guitar

Torrent Of The Day: Built To Spill (7-12-2007) Plus Boise Cover Band Bonus

I just picked up a copy of Boise Cover Band's Unoriginal Artists featuring Doug Martsch and some Idaho boys doing a bunch of covers (duh). Here's a really cool one:

• Boise Cover Band : Chain Gang (The Pretenders)
  

Built To Spill 07/12/2007 Montreal, QC., CANADA SP-C4's

Built To Spill
07/12/07
Le National
Montreal, QC, CANADA

Source: SP-C4'S (cardoid, DIN) > Canare SQ's > UA-5 > NJB3 (16/44.1kHz)
Location: FOB, LOC, on stand ~9', ~30' from stage
Transfer : NJB3 > USB > HD > Audacity (fades,+6db gain) > CDWAV > FLAC
Recorded and transferred by JAHDAWG

ONE SET, TWO DISCS

DISC 1:

01.Traces
02.In The Morning
03.Time Trap
04.Stab
05.Else
06.Third Uncle *
07.Car
08.Goin' Against Your Mind
09.Made Up Dreams
10.Velvet Waltz
11.Nowhere Nothin' Fuckup

Disc 2:

12.Strange
13.Wherever You Go
14.Carry The Zero
Encore:
15.Randy Described Eternity

* Brian Eno cover

Torrent Of The Day: Built To Spill (9-25-2001) (DVD)

One of the few good Built To Spill DVDs that exist, and it was filmed here in Atlanta. Get it:

Built to Spill 2001-09-25 Atlanta, GA (NTSC)

Built to Spill 9/25/01
Atlanta, GA
Variety Playhouse
Audience Shot
--------------------------------------------------
Video: AUD (Tripod) Mini DV Master
Transfer: Mini DV > Standalone DVD > Reauthored with Adobe Encore DVD
NTSC 4:3
720X480 29.97 fps


Audio: SBD > DAT > CDR
AC3
256 kbps
--------------------------------------------------
Setlist:
Nowhere Nothing Fuckup
Stop the Show
In Your Mind
Carry the Zero
Dream Police
Made Up Dreams
Big Dipper
Randy Described Eternity
Car

Twin Falls>Some
What Is Life
Stab
Velvet Waltz
Fly Around My Pretty Little Miss
Freebird
--------------------------------------------------
Audio Codec: AC3
Audio Bitrate: 256 kbps
Video System: NTSC 29.97 fps
Video Bitrate: 9500 kbps

Video Of the Day: Built To Spill

Torrent Of The Day: Built To Spill (7-13-2006)

Built To Spill 2006-07-13 The Depot, Salt Lake City, Utah (16-bit) (FLAC)

Built To Spill
2006-07-13
The Depot
Salt Lake City, UT

Disc I
1. Car
2. Goin' Against Your Mind
3. Else
4. Good Ol' Boredom
5. Fly Around My Pretty Little Miss
6. Rearrange (Gladiators cover)
7. Big Dipper
8. Kicked It In The Sun

Disc II
1. Conventional Wisdom
2. Bomb Shelter Part 2 (Halo Benders cover, Calvin Johnson film in background)
3. Carry The Zero
4. They Got Away
5. Untrustable
Encore:
6. Broken Chairs

Notes: bts2006-07-13d1t01 was spliced with a different source because the ADK source was incomplete.

Source: bts2006-07-13d1t01: Audix m1290 (cardioids, DIN, DFC, balcony rail)> Sound Devices MP-2> Sony PCM-M1 All other tracks: ADKTLs (XY, DFC, balcony rail> Motu Traveler @ 24/48> Compaq laptop

Lineage: Master Wavs> Spark XL 2.82 (spliced d1t01 w/ the ADKTL source, fades, tracks)> Wav> xACT 1.58> Flac16 level 8

Taped by Dave Marshall & Alex Widner

Compiled by Alex Widner xawidner AT yahoo_com

Video Of The Day: Built To Spill

Music Video for "Conventional Wisdom":