Built To Spill are coming back to Atlanta (thankfully without Kings of Leon) August 9th to play at the Buckhead Theatre, which I believe used to be the Roxy after it was originally the Buckhead Theatre. Or something like that. Anyways, I figured I’d dig through the vault, pick out one of my hundred plus BTS bootlegs, and post it up to celebrate. Despite only containing four songs, this is one of my favourite live recordings from them. It is not an official BTS show, but rather was billed as “The Dug Trio”. The first three cuts are songs that years later ended up on Doug Martsch‘s solo record. “Impossible” might be the second best song Martsch ever wrote, and this version is epic. The closer is of course the greatest cover of all time, but an alternate version from the one that appears on the official Live record. Enjoy:

Built To Spill
Friday, October 15th, 1999
Hatch Ballroom, Boise ID

Setlist:

1. Instrumental*
2. Impossible*
3. Dream*
4. Cortez the Killer (Neil Young cover)*

* First documented performance

Check out the Built To Spill Live Chronology website

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Post tags: Built To Spill, Live Show

I’m a little bit behind the curve on this new Mew record because for a while I mistakenly thought it was only an EP. But now that I have the full-length album, I am totally obsessed with it. I was a big fan of their last two records, but I feel like with No More Stories… they have taken their game up to a whole new level. They pull off a move in a more poppy and upbeat direction almost flawlessly, balancing out the ridiculously catchy melodies with plenty of proggy weirdness. So if you somehow missed this one as well, go grab it now:

Mew : Introducing Palace Players

Mew : Tricks Of The Trade

Buy No More Stories

Mew myspace

Built To Spill

BTS @ ATP NY ’08

It’s strange hearing songs I obsessed about over half a decade ago appearing for the first time on a new record. The fact that I had been hearing the songs on You In Reverse for years prior on live recordings greatly diminished the newness of it when it came out, and I think that that played a part in my inability to fully fall in love with it, as I have with the rest of Doug Martch‘s vast catalogue. Luckily There is No Enemy has plenty of fresh material, and the older stuff contained on it happen to be some of my favourites from that ’04-’05 era. Also, BTS felt noticeably more invigorated in their concerts last year than they had in quite a while, and I think that that zeal bled into the recordings. All in all, it’s great to hear one of my favourite bands making compelling music again.

Built To Spill : Oh Yeah

Built To Spill : Things Fall Apart

Buy There Is no Enemy

Built To Spill myspace

Volcano Choir

Volcano Choir is Justin Vernon (aka Bon Iver) teamed up with fellow Wisconsin artists Collections of Colonies of Bees. The resulting 35 minute record sounds like a more experimental and trippy version of Bon Iver, and it’s pretty much amazing. Blood Bank was kind of neat, but it made me begin to question whether Vernon could ever again create something as enchanting and transcendental as For Emma, Forever Ago. But Volcano Choir‘s Unmap proves that he is no one hit wonder, and demonstrates the enormous amount of talent and range of these midwestern musicians. Between this and Emma, it is hard not to concur that Justin Vernon is going to be a premiere musician for years to come.

Volcano Choir : Islands, Is

Volcano Choir : Still

Buy Unmap

Volcano Choir myspace

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Post tags: Built To Spill, Mew, Volcano Choir, What The Hell

Built To Spill
Slim’s, San Francisco, CA
4/27/97

Setlist:

01 //Get a Life
02 Bad Light
03 The Plan
04 Untrustable
05 Else
06 Kicked It In The Sun
07 Time Trap
08 Handcuffs [Treepeople]
09 Distopian Dream Girl
10 Carry the Zero
11 Lie for a Lie*
* includes parts of “Terrible/Perfect” and “Now and Then”

Download Lossless Torrent Here

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Post tags: Built To Spill, Live Show

Last weekend Built To Spill played the Eagle Island Experience Festival in Boise, Idaho and played a new song, or rather an older song that hadn’t seen a release yet. This wasn’t the first time they’ve played this, as I’ve found a video from a show last year where they played it as well, so maybe this is old news, but it’s new to me. There is inevitably going to be another album sometime soon, maybe in months, or maybe in years, and I’m hoping this will be on it:

Built To Spill : Hindsight (live 5/16/09)

Thanks to JLW for recording the show:

Download Entire Concert (5/16/09) Here

Built To Spill: “Hindsight” live:

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Post tags: Built To Spill

Thurston Moore performing Psychic Hearts

CONTINUE READING Photos: ATP New York – Day 1 (9-19-08) in Monticello, NY (8 words)

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Post tags: ATP, ATP NY 2008, Built To Spill, Thurston Moore, Tortoise

I noticed that this compilation of live shows is available back on the torrents, so I went through my vault and dragged it out for you. There was a longer gap between Built To Spill‘s last two albums, Ancient Melodies of The Future (2001) and You In Reverse (2006) then in any point before that. So when at ATP Fest in Los Angeles back in 2004 Built To Spill unveiled a set almost entirely comprised of new songs, it was a really big deal for us BTS fans. This compilation contains some cuts from that legendary bootleg, other songs they wrote and worked out live during the Pre-You In Reverse era (2004-2005), and then a bunch of sweet cover songs. Particular favourites of mine are Ozzy’s “Mr. Crowley”, the reggae-jam version of “Cortez”, and a new song that (much to my disappointment) didn’t make the cut on the album, “Oh Yeah”. Enjoy:

Built To Spill
Live Melodies Of the Future

1. Saturday 2004-09-11
2. Liar 2004-11-07
3. Done 2004-11-06
4. LIfe’s A Dream 2004-11-06
5. Traces 2004-11-07
6. Going Against Your Mind 2005-06-10
7. Gone 2004-11-06
8. Oh Yeah 2004-11-07
9. The Wait 2004-11-06
10. Wherever You Go 2004-11-06
11. While My Guitar Gently Weeps 2005-09-17 (George Harrison)
12. Conventional Wisdom 2005-09-11
13. They Got Away (working title) 2005-10-10
14. Cortez the Killer (Neil Young) 2003-10-23
15. I Try (Macy Gray) 2000-06-25
16. Linus and Lucy (Vince Guaraldi) 1998-10-26
17. Imagine (John Lennon) 2001-09-22
18. Dream Police (Cheap Trick) ??????
19. Mr.Crowley (Ozzy Osbourne) 2000-06-25
20. Freebird (Southern Men who need to listen to more Neil Young) 2001-09-22

Download Lossless Torrent Here

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Post tags: Built To Spill

We then headed up to the festival after checking in and had to wait in a very long line to exchange our tickets for wristbands. Festivals being marred in logistics issues always seems to be the case, and ATP was no exception, but nothing I haven’t come to expect. After getting my press pass secured and grabbing some grub from their “food court” consisting of two food booths, we headed right down in front of the main stage, and Atlanta’s greatest music fan, Kenny Crucial, was holding down the rail right next to us most of the night. I made it down there a few songs into the Meat Puppets doing their II album just in time to hear one of my favs, “Plateau”. The Meat Puppets were really good, and since this was pretty much their only album that I knew well, it was a greatest hits show for me. The guitarist was shredding hard and their bassist had such a goofy on stage persona.

Next up was Tortoise doing Millions Now Living Will Never Die. I made a point to not really listen to any of these albums before heading up here so they would feel fresh, and for some reason I hadn’t really listened to any Tortoise in forever despite them being one of my “entry bands” into good music so long ago. As they did their set beautifully, I realized that I still knew this album frontwards and back, and it was so enjoyable to listen to. I know I haven’t really mentioned this band much around Ohmpark since I started it, but there is no doubt in mind that these guys are some of the best of the best.

After that it was time for Thurston Moore doing his Psychic Hearts album. As much as I am obsessed with Sonic Youth, I really never got into this album the few times I had listened to it before. Now, I will take listening to Thurston any time, any day, and the set was great, with Steve Shelley on drums again, but I have to say that Psychic Hearts is not exactly in my upper stratosphere of SY related music. But regardless of my hang ups, it was certainly a crowd pleaser with the older hipster crowd that populated this thing. While there were a few “pubesters” rolling around, the audience for this festival has been pretty damn cool so far.

Finally, it was time for the event I was most excited about, Built To Spill performing Perfect From Now On. There is probably no album that has more personal meaning to me than this one, and my highest of expectations were not disappointed. I had seen them play abridged versions of songs from PFNO many times, but for this one, they played the most loyal versions of the songs I have ever heard, only adding a few extended jams here and there. After they finished out the album, they did a stunning rendition of “Goin’ Against Your Mind” to close out the set. They did an encore consisting of one my favs, “Stab” and closed with “Car” complete with a 15 minute jammout at the end. There is just no way i can describe accurately how great this set was for me.

Anyways, I have to run and catch some more music. More updates coming, and Biggie C is taking some gorgeous photos we will have for you next week.

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Post tags: ATP, ATP NY 2008, Built To Spill, Meat Puppets, Sonic Youth, Thurston Moore, Tortoise

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.


CONTINUE READING Albums I Love: Perfect From Now On (387 words)

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Post tags: Albums I Love, Built To Spill, Live Show

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.

CONTINUE READING Langerado 2008 Day 2: Friday (364 words)

© Davy Minor for Ohmpark, 2008. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Beastie Boys, Built To Spill, chk chk chk, Langerado 2008, Ozomatli, The Wailers, The Walkmen

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


CONTINUE READING Langerado 2008 Preview (288 words)

© Davy Minor for Ohmpark, 2008. | Permalink | One comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Blitzen Trapper, Built To Spill, chk chk chk, Dan Deacon, Dead Confederate, Langerado, Minus The Bear, Of Montreal, Pelican, The Benevento-Russo Duo, Vampire Weekend