Built to Spill - Perfect From Now On

Of all the praise I could heap upon this piece, I'll just say that this review got me to listen to Built To Spill. Mission accomplished, Teddy. If that was your mission. -KV

Built to Spill - "Perfect From Now On"
by Teddy Nutmeg

The first time I heard Built to Spill, I was 16, riding in the backseat of a car belonging to my small town's big-time weed dealer, and we had smoked enough high-quality ganja to paralyze an elephant, out of a bong as big as Delaware, no less. I mean, we were real stoned; like Cheech & Chong stoned, and my buddy puts on this album called "Perfect From Now On" and something paradigmatically shifted. The air inside the car thickened, time seemed to slow down, and my soul was suddenly dripping with warm, sticky-sweet honey (or maybe it was my pants, there WAS a freshman girl sitting next to me in the backseat).

That night, listening to that album on that stereo, in that backseat next to that freshman, I was reborn into a rapturous state of happy thoughtful appreciation. I oozed down and let the intricate melodies and harmonies cascade away into my future, and, completely and wholly comfortable, I was absolutely unwilling to pry my attention away from the aural bliss I was experiencing. I've been a Built to Spill fan from that point on, and they remain a high frequency selection on my play list to this day. I'm still a freshman girl fan too, but, alas, certain legalities prevent them from having quite the same frequency status on my play list.

But seriously, every time I listen, I am pleasantly dumbfounded by this album's sweet melodies, dead on harmonies, and cryptic lyrics. One key to its remaining so enjoyable over time is that I always find something new to listen to when I pop in "Perfect". Whether it's the guitar easing its way into expressive never-never land, or the agonizingly beautiful cello mixed in at just the right levels, or the "fat" sound of the drums, reminding me of Pink Floyd, some different facet of the composition always jumps out. And every time I hear something new, its peculiarly familiar, like the smell of the place where I went to pre-school; I don't remember it exactly, but I connect with it on a profound level and I know in my heart I've been appreciating it since the beginning, consciously realizing it just now.

If you've never listened to BTS before, "Perfect From Now On" may coax you into believing that they're capable of living up to that impossibly high standard; it's that good. Part of the appeal of the album is its subtle emotional intensity, which builds and builds throughout each long, melodic song, leaving the listener gooey in a sort of post-coital bliss. But the content as far from mushy as you could imagine. Its like good sex: at times slow and romantic, at times driving and powerful. In fact, the lyrics (which tend to make no sense to a newbie) almost take a back seat to the overall sound, but once you get into them, it's a whole new world. You listen, rapt, to a song from "Perfect From Now On" with this sort of dazed happy look on your face, and when its over, you say, "yeah" to yourself and the corners of your mouth reach for your ears. It's like a really, really good psychedelic trip that you can rewind and play over and over.

The driving force behind BTS, Doug Martch, is a genius on the guitar, a mellow Neil Young for the stressed out 90's. His licks are clean, rich, and nigh-perfect in their mix of emotional content and professional execution. I listen to his playing and I get that lump in my chest like when I think about my first true love. He sounds truly sincere and 100% connected with his music, a vocalist with crystal in his chords and subtle power in his lungs. Doug Martch is not just another whiny indie-rock singer, either. He's as amazing a songwriter as he is a musician. Eight songs take up the 60 or so minutes of the album, and all eight are absolutely stunning, sequenced in perfect order.

In terms of the band's other offerings, I have most of them, and although I don't enjoy them as much as "Perfect From Now On", they rock. "There's Nothing Wrong With Love", "The Normal Years", "Keep it Like a Secret", "Built to Spill Live", and their newest offering, "Ancient Melodies of the Future" are all worth whatever you're charged for them. They're all different, and very much display the evolution of Martch's unique musical style. But none match the raw beauty of "Perfect From Now On", which was released in between "There's Nothing Wrong With Love" and "Keep it Like a Secret."

If you're going to check out Built to Spill, check out "Perfect From Now On", and have a good trip. Just remember to bring fresh underwear, especially if you're going to be in the backseat. And of course, don't sit next to any freshmen unless you're in high school.

-Teddy Nutmeg