Built To Spill play 'Keep It Like A Secret' - Live in Leeds

Brudenell presents...

Built to Spill
play 'Keep It Like A Secret'

1st May 2019
19:30 Doors
Tickets on sale now: http://bit.ly/BTSLeeds

https://www.facebook.com/builttospill/
http://www.builttospill.com/

When Built to Spill wanted to find out what their music sounded like they locked themselves in Doug Martschs
garage. Without a tentative conclusion or even a hypothesis the four
members began to experiment. Their collaborative efforts lasted seasons
and yielded dozens of hours of ADAT tape. The album You In Reverse
documents the newest branch of Built To Spills chaotic, yet elegant
evolution.

Doug Martsch formed Built To Spill in 1992. His
intention was to sustain a project that would involve a rotating cast of
musicians to record albums and tour. The first incarnation of Built To
Spill included Doug, Brett Netson, and Ralf (Youtz). Recording in the
middle of the night in order to get free studio time, they assembled
1993s Ultimate Alternative Wavers. For a few years and a few records
band members came and went. In 1996, while recording the album Perfect
From Now On (their Warner Bros. Records debut), Doug found a rhythm
section he could not relinquish: Brett Nelson and Scott Plouf. This
line-up toured and made records with additional guest musicians Brett
Netson and Sam Coomes. In 1999, after the release of Keep It Like A
Secret, Jim Roth joined the band as live co-guitarist.

In the
five years since the bands most recent effort Ancient Melodies Of The
Future was released, Built To Spill took an eighteen-month vacation.
When the group returned to work, the line-up included Jim Roth as a core
member. This foursome started jamming and recording their hours-long
musical explorations. According to Doug, they had no idea what kind of
music they wanted to make.

You In Reverse arrives as the most
collaborative record in the bands thirteen-year history. To a large
extent, each musician wrote his own parts. Half of the finished material
incorporates segments the band wrote together during jam sessions.

Doug
did bring in a few songs ready to go. Tracks like Liar and Saturday
were pretty much there when the band learned them, while Goin Against
Your Mind and Traces are full of riffs discovered during musical
research. Dougs private writing process then allowed him to meld
favorite spontaneous moments with composed transitions and intricate
melodies.

With a batch of songs in hand, the goal became to keep
the recording simple and stripped down. The band wanted to retain the
impromptu, organic feel of their jams. Rather than Dougs former reliance
on extensive overdubs, the group tried to capture loose and live
moments, letting each individual musicians talents be more accurately
represented. Instead of a broad, atmospheric sweep, this record sounds
natural. It resonates with relationships, the way the band as a whole
responds to music and to each other. Being the new guy, Jim Roth
appreciated this approach. To Jim, they were striving to see what the
band could be, the four of us. Now we can see the potential. These new
songs are just starting to scratch the surface. Expressing his
connection to music as that of both craftsman and artist, he considers
each composition to be like a painting or a sculpture, its own thing.

As
a discrete creation the record relies on more than good chemistry and
Dougs expansive writing. The band decided to self-produce in order to
put themselves in a new situation. Similar to the generative process,
they felt a need to try something different. Just to see what would
happen, Doug admits, Ive made enough records to know I could do this.
Also, engineers take pride in their work and would not let it be too
fucked up. When they chose Steve Lobdells Audible Alchemy studio, they
happened upon another element of the album. Steve, being the musical
person he is, just fell into the role of co-producer, Doug says, then
recants, Its not even really produced. Its cleanly recorded and mixed.
Its not slick.

At Audible Alchemy, they wound up chasing a 1960s
sound. Sonically, Doug says, We wanted it to sound like classic rock or
soula piece of vinyl. Both Steve and engineer Jacob Hall are audiophiles
who love old records and are into those sorts of sounds. They used
analog recording equipment and spent hours listening back to tracks for
the smallest nuances. Steve (a member of Faust) also played space echo,
guitar, vibes, and percussion on the record. He understood the songs and
their parameters, making specific and well-considered contributions.

Other guest musicians include Quasis Sam Coomes on organ and longtime Built
To Spill contributor Brett Netson on guitar. Partway through the making
of this record, Netson officially joined Built To Spill as their fifth
member and played guitar on three of the songs. His mind-melting solo on
Just A Habit will remind longtime Built To Spill listeners of the
amazing lead guitar tracks he laid down for Perfect From Now On.

When Doug is asked what he wants people to know about the album, he replies,
I would rather not manipulate peoples opinions about it. Bassist Brett
Nelson thinks this record is what everybody in the band would want it to
sound like. Brett also mentions the different styles of songs, anything
from New Wave to Reggae breakdowns. While many influences and song
structures arise and dissolve, none dominates the overall force of the
album.

The songs are haunting rather than catchy. Each musical
thought is surprising and complete. Dougs lyrics hint at politics, but
could also be personal. As usual, the words lining the songs are neither
directive nor dogmatic. Rational thoughts are constantly sacrificed to
the metric and melodic needs of each song. No message blares forth. And
yet, its understood.