Built to Spill
There Is No Enemy
(WEA/Reprise, 2009)

Built to Spill is one of those bands that most everyone has discovered at some point in their journey through the rock ‘n’ roll canon. Maybe you had an ear to the ground during the burgeoning indie-rock scene of the early ’90s and stumbled upon a CD of their 1993 debut, Ultimate Alternative Wavers or sophomore effort There’s Nothing Wrong with Love before they hit major label status with 1997’s Perfect from Now On, during which—or any time in the subsequent decade—you found out about them from any number of well-informed friends. Either way, it’s likely you’ve had some one-on-one moments with this band that churns out melodic guitar jams and wistful, cryptic lyrics, and has directly influenced such popular successors as My Morning Jacket and Band of Horses. All said and done, over their 15-plus-year presence in the music community, Built to Spill has remained one of rock’s most consistent bands. 

Even going into my preliminary listen with the knowledge that Built to Spill has an uncontested backbone and an exceptional catalog to prove it, I still didn’t expect their newest release, There Is No Enemy, to be so damn good. The boys are getting older, and oftentimes a band’s best output is captured early on, in those starving younger years, right? But much like how, say, Wilco’s most recent release, Wilco (The Album), captured Tweedy and company in a newfound, jocular place, There Is No Enemy also reminds us that there is still so much on the horizon for these bands warmly hitting the stride of middle life. Still intact, still touring, still making music on their own terms, Built to Spill—with vocalist/guitarist Doug Martsch leading the charge and Brett Nelson (bass) and Scott Plouf (drums) playing equal parts complementary to his direction (with two supplemental guitarists as well)—has released a beautiful and unexpected new record.

All of Built to Spill’s albums start out strong, gripping the listener with an immediacy that begets the eventual jamming that ensues. “Aisle 13” kicks this one off with a screeching guitar and Martsch’s plaintive lyrics singing, “Every day something strange I can’t explain happens to me.” The following song, “Hindsight”, is one of the strongest tracks on the record. With a twangy guitar implemented into one of the prettiest melodies you’ll ever enjoy, Martsch waxes on about the damage of too much retrospection. Look forward, people! This song serves as a thematic anchor to this collection of songs.

Highlights are plentiful. “Life’s a Dream” is meandering and peaceful, Martsch’s vocals the perfect vehicle for the subject matter and fluid instrumentation, with some unexpected “la la la” harmonies softening the song even further still, steering it into pensive territory with lines like, “Miles ’til dawn / But it feels so dark ’til then / Drowns you out / But you can’t be too certain.” “Pat” is an up-tempo number with some dark content, a memorial to a lost friend. With the biting forgiveness of what I find to be one of the record’s strongest lyrics, Martsch cries, “Pat, we need your brains back / Pat, we need your fire, your imagination / Pat, we know you fucked up / We don’t care you fucked up / Everybody’s fucked up.” “Done” is classic Built to Spill, a dreamy song with the sobering declaration, “All I want is you to make up your mind.”

“Things Fall Apart”, complete with a blaring horn sequence, is a moving admittance of a fucked relationship. It’s concise in its lyricism, and an almost spooky instrumental opening flows into Martsch’s deep introspection with the bitter line, “Stay out of my nightmares, stay out of my dreams / You’re not even welcome in my memories.” Things do indeed fall apart, and it sounds like Built to Spill, in their infinite wisdom, feel a burning need to deliver such hard truths to their diverse fanbase this time around. And honestly? Read that line again. And then listen to the whole song. It’s a scorcher.

There Is No Enemy is not necessarily a cathartic work, nor is it an act of absolution. In its entirety it sounds urgent, almost like it all appeared before the band, already written, as if it manifested itself before them through a haze. The only thing they needed to do was reach out to drive it inward and then out again—it sounds that effortless. They proved, without a doubt, that they still have something to say. And I will keep on listening as long as they continue to speak up.

Listen: Various Tracks [at myspace.com]