Ancient Melodies of the Future

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
With a band like Built to Spill, the key to success is to chart a course through the future that mirrors the past. Built to Spill may be on a major label, but its linchpin, front man Doug Martsch, still writes all song parts himself and has a large hand in every album's production from start to finish. Martsch assembles the players--drummer Scott Plouf and bassist Brett Nelson--to take their parts in the studio and on tour, but he still holds all the musical cards. As a result, the Boise, Idaho-based trio sounds pretty much the same on Ancient Melodies of the Future as it did on 1997's Perfect from Now On and 1999's Keep It Like a Secret. That said, though, why change a winning formula? Martsch's mix of wry humor, Neil Young-influenced rock, and soaring indie-pop ballads has garnered him a Guided by Voices-like cult following that this album is in no danger of turning away. "In Your Mind" is the standout track, with Martsch's fitting assertion that "No one can tell me to listen / No one can tell me what's right / because nobody has my permission / and no one can see in your mind." The other tracks are tried and true BTS fare, bending guitar effects around straight-ahead rock ("Trimmed and Burning") or layering warm melodies atop Martsch's elliptical lyrics. Indie-rock fans looking for something wildly divergent or refreshingly different won't find either on Ancient Melodies, but those looking for a linear extension of BTS's past works should find a happy resistance to change in this latest release. --Jennifer Maerz --This text refers to the Audio CD edition.

Ancient Melodies of the Future, Music, Built to Spill, Alternative Pop/Rock, Indie Rock, Pop, Rock

Average customer rating:

A Quality Effort

Underrated

If You like Modest Mouse...

Successful grown-up indie pop

BTS Virgin -- Only Way to Go is Up

Ancient Melodies of the Future
Built to Spill
Manufacturer: Warner Bros / Wea
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music
Indie Rock | Indie & Lo-Fi | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music
General | Rock | Styles | Music
Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music
Eccentrics | Warner Brothers Records | Stores | Music
Similar Items:

Keep It Like a Secret

Perfect From Now On

You in Reverse

Live

Now You Know

ASIN: B00005LK6L
Release Date: 2001-07-10

Tracks:

Strange
The Host
In Your Mind
Alarmed
Trimmed and Burning
Happiness
Don't Try
You Are
Fly Around My Pretty Little Miss
The Weather

Amazon.com

With a band like Built to Spill, the key to success is to chart a course through the future that mirrors the past. Built to Spill may be on a major label, but its linchpin, front man Doug Martsch, still writes all song parts himself and has a large hand in every album's production from start to finish. Martsch assembles the players--drummer Scott Plouf and bassist Brett Nelson--to take their parts in the studio and on tour, but he still holds all the musical cards. As a result, the Boise, Idaho-based trio sounds pretty much the same on Ancient Melodies of the Future as it did on 1997's Perfect from Now On and 1999's Keep It Like a Secret. That said, though, why change a winning formula? Martsch's mix of wry humor, Neil Young-influenced rock, and soaring indie-pop ballads has garnered him a Guided by Voices-like cult following that this album is in no danger of turning away. "In Your Mind" is the standout track, with Martsch's fitting assertion that "No one can tell me to listen / No one can tell me what's right / because nobody has my permission / and no one can see in your mind." The other tracks are tried and true BTS fare, bending guitar effects around straight-ahead rock ("Trimmed and Burning") or layering warm melodies atop Martsch's elliptical lyrics. Indie-rock fans looking for something wildly divergent or refreshingly different won't find either on Ancient Melodies, but those looking for a linear extension of BTS's past works should find a happy resistance to change in this latest release. --Jennifer Maerz

Customer Reviews:

A Quality Effort.......2006-06-27

I've been into Built to Spill for about 5 years and was lucky enough to catch them live in September of '05- Three guitars-What an aural onslaught! Any way..Ancient Melodies of the Future contains some BTS's BEST songs and they happen to be of the mellow persuasion -"Alarmed"-"words for fighting ,words for fun-they've all melted onto one" freakin great song."Strange" has a "stony summer's day" feel to it same as " You Are" and I cannot believe how many reviews I went through here and most of them did not mention one of the greatest songs by ANY band in the last 10 years ,"The Weather".It sounds as fresh and touching the 100th time hearing it as the first .This is a must have CD. It's just as good if not better than previous BTS efforts...Really.

Underrated.......2006-05-15

First things first - this is the weakest Built to Spill album, but that's not saying much because they're all good to great, including this one. I think the new album gives this one new perspective because going back and listening to it, it is clearly the middle ground between the two albums that bookend it - Keep It Like A Secret and You In Reverse; couldn't have arrived at the latter from the former without this one in the middle.

Pretty much anything would be a letdown for Built to Spill fans - people wanting more 4 minute pop numbers (like Keep It Like A Secret) got that, but they're not quite up to that amazing level. People wishing they would get more experimental like Perfect From Now On were kept waiting (until the new album). This is a good album with good songs, some of which (Alarmed and Fly Around My Pretty Little Miss in particular) stack up with the best stuff from the other albums. Some of it is not as solid, but then again, I feel the same way about There Is Nothing Wrong With Love (The "Car" album).

In short, this is a good Built to Spill album. Not the best one, not the one new fans should start with, but a worthwhile album of which any fan will like most if not all.

If You like Modest Mouse..........2006-04-11

You can't go wrong with built to spill. They sound similar but are very distinct but i really think Modest Mouse one ups Built just in sheer amount of experimentation and how much they can sound different from one song to the next. Built really has Doug on guitar that really pulls them apart from Modest and makes them sound a bit like the pillows only with lyrics we can understand unless u know japanese.

Successful grown-up indie pop.......2005-08-17

This is my first Built to Spill record. Ancient Melodies seems to me to be the product of a mature man expressing himself through kid's music. Nothing particularly wrong with that, to me. It's hard to drop the rock 'n roll itch. This is the next level down in terms of accessibility from bands like The Pixies and REM.

There's lots of stuff going on here, fuzzy synthesizers, chunky guitar hooks, quasi-philosophical musings about the nature of life,perception, love and lust, tape loops and other understated studio gimmicks. Occasionally Doug Martsch channels Neil Young a bit too much for my liking, hence the last star off.

One of the cleverer lines that stands out in my mind as I write is "Happiness will only happen when it can". How true. If this is the type of observation that helps you turn the coffeemaker on every morning, you should give Built to Spill's "Ancient Melodies" a try. Blow off the hipsters dismissing this record, who ingest too much media and aren't impressed by anything anymore. Hopefully you have arrived here before that has happened.

BTS Virgin -- Only Way to Go is Up.......2004-06-15

This is my first Built to Spill experience and I found this album to be fantastic. I've only read a few reviews just now but it seemed like there was a bit of disappointment? Maybe that's all I happened to read...I'm just excited because if that's the case, then to think that BTS' other albums contain work superior to this is absolutely mindblowing. I treasure this album and cannot wait to be "educated" by their other cds. Thank you!

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