Built to Spill occupy a curious realm of popular music: They are hailed as elder statesmen of the independent rock scene—they’ve been together for over a decade now—and yet they remain largely under the radar while maintaining a degree of autonomy unparalleled by most artists on a major label. And this is how Doug Martsch seems to like it. Martsch is the nucleus, resident guitar hero, and master architect of Built to Spill’s signature pop-meets-jam-band aesthetic. Theirs is a sound informed by artists as diverse as Pavement, Dinosaur Jr., and Neil Young, and Built to Spill in turn have influenced their contemporaries, most notably Death Cab for Cutie and Modest Mouse. Martsch spoke with Saturday Night Magazine regarding the band’s newest LP, You in Reverse, which marks the band’s first output in five years. It is a fine release, an album many critics are calling a return to form after 2001’s uneven Ancient Melodies of the Future. Talking with Saturday Night Magazine, the soft-spoken Martsch was candid and appears to be refreshingly out of touch with the trappings of this digital age.
You suffered a detached retina recently, preventing you from playing SXSW. How’s the eye? It’s fine now, thanks. I injured it playing basketball.
As a band, Built to Spill has slowly evolved in the sense that you’ve established permanent members for your more recent albums, as opposed to your earlier work, when the idea was to have a revolving group of musicians play and tour. Was this a natural, necessary development? Natural yes, necessary… not really. It just progressed that way. When we began working on this album, we just jammed together and the songs came from that process.
As a well-established band with certain sonic idiosyncrasies, at this point, do you feel limited by what Built to Spill are expected to sound like? Not at all. I don’t feel that we have a set sound. People might say we do, and in some ways they might be right, but I’ve never felt bound by any limitations when it comes to the music I write.
{mospagebreak}
You’ve talked about doubling your voice when recording. Both Elliott Smith and John Lennon were noted for this technique. Do you feel that doubling makes your voice sound better? Yeah, I do. There were times when I thought that certain songs would work best with just a single vocal track, but in the end, I always decided to double it. I’ve just never liked of [my voice as a single track]. I think doubling gives my voice more weight; I just like the sound of it better.
You seem to pay a lot of attention to your guitar tones. I especially like the lead guitars on “Goin’ Against Your Mind” and “Conventional Wisdom,” both of which are very pretty but also possess a darker, yearning quality. Yeah, Dinosaur Jr. is a big influence on our sound, especially the guitar sounds; we draw a lot from them. I feel that people who think of us being just a jam band don’t see the whole picture; we’re darker, yes.
The ways that popular music is heard, discussed, and sold are changing rapidly. Do you keep up with the technology? Not at all. I don’t have a computer. If I need to know something, I’ll ask my friends or go to the library, maybe turn on the TV. I don’t feel that it’s necessary to stay informed with that
Your lyrics are notable for their turns of phrase and sardonic wit. Do you have an established voice or methodology when it comes to writing your words? I pay attention to meter, alliteration, things like that. But really, I just try to not write crappy lyrics. (laughs.)
There seems to be a consensus that Built to Spill are unsung—you guys don’t get the credit or attention many feel you deserve. Who do you consider to be unsung musical heroes? I have friends in bands that I think are awesome. I like Quasi, but they’re pretty well-known. You know, I’m of the opinion that you don’t really have to hear anything, you know? There’s no need to actively try to listen to everything, or any particular artist for that matter.
So you don’t believe that there is any artist in the history of popular music who everyone should listen to in order to fully appreciate rock n’ roll? Absolutely not. See, I don’t believe that anyone has to hear anything to really appreciate music. Someone could listen to Matchbox 20 all their life and nothing else, and if they enjoy it, if it feels good to their central nervous system, then there’s nothing wrong with it—they’re still enjoying it. I mean, Matchbox 20 hurts my central nervous system (laughs), but I don’t believe that anyone has to hear any particular artist to have a full appreciation of music.
You’ve been doing this for some 13 years now... do you ever desire to do something else? Have you ever grown disillusioned with music? Do you have any regrets? No, no regrets, but I’ve certainly questioned myself, wondering if my music is good enough. Yeah, I’ve definitely felt disillusioned at times, but I think that’s natural.
Thanks for your time. I wish you the best. Thanks, you too.
Bookmark with:
