You like Indie rock? I sure do. I’ve been searching out lesser known bands since my freshman year of high school. That was 1994. So fourteen years. I buy at least one CD every two weeks or so. Always something I’ve discovered online, read about in one of those Indie rock mags (Paste, Filter, etc.) or just learned about from conversations with friends that are into the same kind of tunes. This may sound ridiculous, but I’m proud to say I introduced The Killers, Modest Mouse, Franz Ferdinand, Wolfmother and several others I can’t readily recall to my entire friend base. I knew about these bands before everyone…before the radio, MTV, anyone. (It’s not arrogant if it’s true.)
But the band I stumbled upon that still reigns supreme over a decade later is Built To Spill – by far the best thing to come out of Idaho aside from potatoes. Doug Martsch is a legend, not only one of the most unheralded guitarist in the history of music but one of the best lyricists. It’s rare that you find a band you appreciate just as much at 28 that you did at 17. It’s like finding a hidden treasure.
This was especially true with BTS because I bought “Keep It Like A Secret” based solely on the band and the album’s name. I mean, how awesome is the name Built To Spill? How awesome are all their album names? And I liked the cover art, always a huge selling point for me. This is why I hate iTunes, even if they’ve recently included album art in a full album purchase. I love the tangible CD, the case, the liner notes. I’ll always buy CDs. Always.
So I was obsessd with “Center of the Universe” right off the bat. The rest of the CD slowly blew me away. The next day I went back to Strawberries – this long-defunct CD store I always went to (and sometimes stole from) – and bought “Keep It Like A Secret’s” predecessor, “Perfect From Now On.”
I fell in love. That summer I listened to PFNO everyday, all day, in headphones, on the stereo, everywhere. I bludgeoned my friends with it (many dug it, some not so much…honestly, I think they were too young for its genius). Two years later, entering college, I brought PFNO with me – along with many other Indie albums – and created tons of new followers (listening to it stoned helped immensely, too). To this day, and into the future (I’m going to a PFNO-only show in Philly in September), I am strongly affected by this album. It is one of my all-time favorites, and even gushing about it in a blog doesn’t do it justice. It’s a masterpiece.
So I’m changing the theme up a bit. Here’s some actual lyrics from the album’s songs. Lyrics I’ve learned the most from.
#15: “You thought of everything but one thing you forgot is you’re wrong.” (Over-analyzing won’t change things.)
#14: “Stop making that sound.” (Words can really hurt.)
#13: “You wouldn’t be if you could choose.” (Some things are simply just the way they are.)
#12: “No one wants to hear what you dreamt about unless you dreamt about them.” (Can there be anything more true?)
#11: “That net does not make me feel safe/All those holes make me nervous.” (Danger could be anywhere; just look hard.)
#10: “It feels like fingernails across the moon.” (Beauty doesn’t have to make sense.)
#9: “You cold-called everybody/But you haven’t sold a thing.” (Some excuses fool no one.)
#8: “And God is whoever you perform for.” (Whatever truly spurs you, you adore.)
#7: “It takes a lot to make me crazy, and a lot is always going on.” (Perfect.)
#6: “You don’t even know what it means to take your own advice.” (Don’t dish if you can’t take.)
#5: “I’m getting over getting mine.” (You can’t always have what you want. Deal with it.)
#4: “I can’t get that sound you make out of my head…it’s only small enough for me.” (In bed with your lover.)
#3: “A pinch felt in a dream.” (You don’t always wake up.)
#2: “You must have waited a long time/Bet you were disappointed.” (Sometimes, good things don’t come to those who wait.)
#1: “I’m gonna be perfect from now on, I’m gonna be perfect starting now.”
