Built to Spill's Ancient Melodies of the Future

I doubt there are many people that have ever even heard of Built to Spill. That’s ok. This is because they’re an indie band. They’re based in Boise, Idaho. They’re not really your typical American indie rock band, though. There’s something different about them… something I can’t quite put my finger on. Ancient Melodies of the Future is the third studio album from this band, and is truly appropriately named. It’s got an old, rock roots feel with a present-day rock twist.

Strange is definitely a very strange song. It’s kind of hard to describe. The music reminds me of something maybe the Beatles would play… or at least like. It’s catchy, not repetitive, and in a way… kind of psychedelic, but you can definitely feel the indie rock and roll vibe.

The Host is a little bit slower, and I think it’s a good sleeping song. It’s good to turn on when you’re going to bed. I’m not sure if it’s a violin or a cello, but you can hear it in the background kind of swaying the music along. The only thing I don’t really appreciate is the consistent cymbals… they could’ve done without those. But overall, the song is really great.

In Your Mind is up next on the track list, and to be honest, this song is a little weird for me. I do enjoy Doug Martsch’s voice… and the lyrics in this song are extraordinary, but I don’t like the yelling of “in your mind”. The music itself reminds me of kind of an ancient Egyptian feel, with a rock twist of course.

Alarmed is the longest song on the album, but to me, it goes by the fastest. Even though it’s a slower-tempo song, I think it might be my second favorite. This one, I truly cannot explain. You’ll just have to listen to it and see how amazing it is for yourself.

Trimmed and Burning is really a great example of what Built to Spill is. If I could recommend one song that really sums up who they are as a band, I think it might be this one. The catchy guitar riffs just make you want to tap your toe a long and the drum lines just seem to compliment them. It’s a great song really… not my favorite, but pretty damn good.

Happiness is something different. This is another one of those songs that’s very… Beatles. It’s just so incredibly catchy. It doesn’t just make me want to sing along, or tap my toes… this one really makes me want to get up and dance. I often find my head bobbing along to the beat of this song.

The next song, Don’t Try is kind of… annoying. In truth, I think it’s again with the cymbals. It’s not Doug’s voice and it most certainly isn’t the guitar or bass, so it must be those cymbals again. The song is pretty good, but I think, of all the songs on the album, I’m most likely to skip this one.

You Are is like Trimmed and Burning but slower. What I mean by that is, it’s another great song that kind of sums up what Built to Spill is like, but in a slower version. I do particularly love the guitar riffs in this song.

Fly Around My Pretty Little Miss is just a really cute song. I love singing along to this one. A classic Built to Spill song.

I have a certain emotional attachment to The Weather. To anybody else, it might be a boring, almost-love song about the weather. But this is… our song. It was the only song I liked when I heard this album at first. It’s very slow... but in its own way, it’s very romantic. My favorite song on the album by far.

Now, let’s get on with the negatives, shall we? Doug’s voice is very… unique. He’s what I call a good background singer. He doesn’t have a lot of ups and downs when he sings… in a way he’s hardly singing at all. If he were to go onto American Idol, he probably wouldn’t make it to Hollywood. Now, that being said, I like his voice. I like it a lot actually. It took me a little while to get used to it, but it really is unique and it’s kind of what sets Built to Spill apart from the rest. Another negative is that there’s a reason they aren’t someone you’ve heard of. They’re indie rockers… and you don’t hardly find them on the radio. They’re different, I’ll give them that, but there’s something about them that I think doesn’t appeal to a general audience. If you’re a very mainstream kind of person, you probably won’t like this band. But if you’re into the indie scene, and willing to give anybody a chance, then I think you might like these guys.