Built To Spill When The Wind Forgets Your Name
A funny thing about popular music is that the music rarely, if ever, stands alone. To anyone except the very casual listener, the music is completely intertwined with the story of the artist. Robert Johnson’s 1930s recordings will always be associated with the Faustian legend surrounding him and his untimely death at the age of 27. It’s nearly impossible to listen to the Rolling Stones without thinking of their hard partying, legal trouble, and the fact that they never, ever, seem to retire. Wilco’s story will always climax with Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, and its Tweedy/Bennett rivalry, its rollercoaster release, and spooky 9/11 connections. The artist’s story, with all the highs and all the lows, puts the music in a real life context, sometimes for the better, sometimes for the worst. Built To Spill’s newest album, When The Wind Forgets Your Name, will undoubtedly be seen through where it is placed in the story of the band.
Doug Martsch, the vocalist, guitarist, lyricist, and only consistent member of Built To Spill, is something of a legend of indie rock. Hailing from Twin Falls, Idaho, and forming Built To Spill in Boise after leaving his former band Treepeople, his influence is undeniable on Pacific Northwest indie rock, with Modest Mouse, Lync, and Death Cab for Cutie all citing inspiration from him. Built to Spill’s trio of albums that include There’s Nothing Wrong With Love (1994), Perfect From Now On (1997), and Keep It Like A Secret (1999), are not only definitive albums of the Pacific Northwest indie sound, but are staples of indie rock in general.
Built to Spill in 2019 (photos by Brianna DiGioia)
After 1999, Built to Spill have not been able to quite reach the heights of that trilogy, whether with the Keep It Like A Secret lineup (Ancient Melodies of the Future [2001], You In Reverse [2006], There Is No Enemy [2009]) or a new lineup (Untethered Moon [2015]). More than twenty years after the soaring highs of their 90s trilogy, is where When The Wind Forgets Your Name comes into the Built to Spill story.
Despite never reaching the heights of the 90s, Built to Spill have never made a bad album, or even an album that is mediocre. Although sometimes forgotten, every release from Ancient Melodies of the Future to Untethered Moon is a very well put together craft by Martsch and company, with well written lyrics and incredible guitar work. You In Reverse would be a career highlight for a band not overshadowed by that 90s trilogy, and was the closest they came to recapturing the magic they had at that time. That is until 2022. When The Wind Forgets Your Name has taken the lead for best post-90s Built To Spill album.
What made You In Reverse a great album was it found the group with a seemingly renewed, almost anxious, energy starting with the immediacy of the opening track “Goin’ Against Your Mind.” Ironically, Wind does not seem close to matching this energy. Although Martsch seems to enjoy playing with temporary bandmates João Casaes and Lê Almeida (of the Brazilian band Oruã), the feeling is more comfortable than energetic, accepting than anxious. Many times, comfort can mean the end of periods of greatness for a band. It can be argued that There Is No Enemy and Untethered Moon suffered from Martsch and the band being too comfortable with their established sound. But that’s not the case here. Wind finds Martsch more comfortable with himself and the highs and not-so-highs of his band’s story, and the album’s differences from previous records exemplify that.
Built to Spill in 2019 (photos by Brianna DiGioia)
The cover art of Wind, done by cartoonist Alex Graham, is much brighter and more colorful than any previous Built To Spill album. The psychedelia the cover implies is present on the album’s songs, which differentiates them from most previous Built To Spill songs. However, unlike fellow PNW indie veterans Modest Mouse’s 2021 album The Golden Casket, psychedelic rock is much more of a subtle addition to Built to Spill’s signature sound, which gives the album a familiarity that also feels fresh. Martsch’s trademark guitar solos are still here, and top notch, but it doesn’t feel like they are trying to specifically recreate the sound of Perfect From Now On or Keep It Like A Secret, as could be argued about the previous couple albums. Instead it sounds like Martsch and the band are taking that sound and doing what they want with it.
Ironically, album opener “Gonna Lose” sounds like it could be added to Keep It Like A Secret and sound completely in place, yet it seems like this happened effortlessly, especially in the context of the following tracks. “Fool’s Gold” follows, with Martsch letting his Neil Young influence shine brighter than possibly any previous Built To Spill song. “Understood” and “Rocksteady” have a bounciness to them that the band hasn’t displayed since There’s Nothing Wrong With Love, except with a subtle psychedelic twist. “Elements” is a sprawling, slow, dark psychedelic epic ending with the sound of waves crashing. “Spiderweb” and “Never Alright” are a faster paced duo, though they feel much more comfortable than the anxious, fast paced You In Reverse tracks. “Alright” is a slower, calm response to the speed of the previous two tracks. “Comes A Day” is an epic album closer, which has come to be expected from Built To Spill, with more Neil Young influence again. The song title alone gives away the influence of Young’s “Comes A Time,” but it’s also heard musically, mixed in with psychedelia and Martsch’s signature guitar playing. The differences between this album’s music with previous releases, and the diversity of tracks with Wind itself, show how Martsch is comfortable playing what he feels like, regardless of reception or the shadow of the highs his earlier work has cast.
Martsch explores this theme of highs and lows of life lyrically as well on Wind, singing about how he has gone through them, and that he’s come to a more accepting place, which coincides with the comfort of this album. “Answers materialize, then they’re gone” Martsch sings on the opener, and then opens “Fool’s Gold” with “I’m gonna keep tryin’, keep tryin.’” This duality of emotion, hopelessness versus persistence, is present throughout the album. It’s no accident “Spiderweb” ends with “and we’ll be alright in this spiderweb of love” only for him to sing “it’s never alright” repeatedly on the next track and “we can make it alright” on the song following that.
Built to Spill in 2019 (photo by Brianna DiGioia)
Martsch is sharing the fact that through life’s ups and downs, emotions and perspectives constantly change. One day it seems like it’s time to give up, the next to keep trying. On “Rocksteady” he sings “high low, high low, I guess that’s just the way we go. I don’t wanna be constantly taking these long hard looks at myself… I don’t know how to be anybody else.” This line is a thesis statement for the album itself. Martsch is accepting of the ups and downs, and although he may never find the answers to regain the highs of the 90s heyday, which will feel discouraging some days, he is going to be himself and not try to recreate that album trio anymore. This acceptance of where Built to Spill is in their story is why they were able to create a comfortable and unique record that is their best in over 20 years.
Despite the comfortability that the album conveys, Martsch stated in a recent interview with Inlander that the recording of the album during the COVID quarantine wasn’t fun. But it seems that accepting the unfortunate circumstances of the lockdown and pushing through brought out Martsch being more himself in years. Yes, given the story of the band, When The Wind Forgets Your Name, will always be in the shadows of their 90s trilogy, but more importantly is the fact that it is a new high point for the band’s later career, a big high in their story of highs and lows. And hopefully the future holds even more high points for this storied band. But in the meantime, both casual and hardcore Built to Spill fans can enjoy an excellent new record.