Built to Spill - Perfect From Now On

Warner Bros.

Doug Martsch and his unconventional approach to guitar work and songwriting comes to its inevitable cross section of perfection on 'Perfect From Now On', the bands third studio album. Serving as a sort of pinnacle for Indie Rock, standing on the precipice of eternal greatness, Perfect From Now On has a lot to live up to.

On the first few playthroughs of the album you may think that there is quite a lot of possible fat to trim, but on subsequent listens - maybe even years down the road - a feeling of completeness encompasses the record. It's the full package - the real deal. Each and every avenue ventured serves a purpose - either to provide a breather or to lay the foundation for moments further on down the line. Ever so slowly the material twists and turns to life - meandering in efficacious multitude.

The song structures/arrangements on Perfect From Now On are what sets it apart from the rest. The ebb and flow of the material succumbs to a state of fluidity with relative ease. It is structured to the point of literal sonic execution.

One of the finest guitar-based records ever released unto the music landscape is unironically called 'Perfect From Now On'. Playing guitar for both melody and atmosphere - or in other words for a sense of song and a sense of scope - is criminally underrated. There's far more to instruments and their reach then we would like to believe. Using them in a space in which they're not usually adjusted for breathes new life and colour into their utility. Few can do it as effectively as Doug Martsch and the Built to Spill camp.

"No one wants to hear what you dreamt about, unless you dreamt about.....them"

Favourite Track: Kicked It in the Sun

January 28th, 1997.