Welcome to the meandering musical insights of Aaron Joy (me!), formerly known as the Roman Midnight Music Blog. Here you'll find nearly 750 reviews of CDs & DVDs of rock & metal in all its variations, mainstream & indie, good & bad, U.S. & foreign. A new review every Monday.

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June 13, 2022

Built To Spill ~ Ancient Melodies Of The Future (album review) ... The future never sounded so fascinating!


Style: indie rock, experimental
Label: Warner Brothers
Year: 2001
Home: Boise, ID

Members: Doug Martsch ~ vocals/guitar/keyboards/percussion
Sam Coomes ~ keyboards
Scott Plouf ~ bass/drums
Brett Netson ~ bass/drumsguitar/hi-hat/thumb piano

This doesn't have the awkward rhythm kick of some of their earlier albums, such as Perfect From Now On, which was the first album I heard by the very unique B2S. B2S is led by intrepid guitarist & songwriter Doug Martsch who draws from Allen Holdsworth & mixes it with indie rock in an way that is immediately fascinating. Ancient Melodies Of The Future doesn't stray far from the intricate melodies of weaving waves as typically heard from the group, famous famous not just for the guitar lines but also Martsch's lazy yet tortured voice. Guitars intertwine over a strange hypnotic grooves creating something really unlike anything else in the musical landscape, or at least anything immediately referenceable. The music is intimate & approachable, maybe more so on this album than in the past. B2S is one of those bands that really needs to be checked out & I recommend them fully. I'm also biased as I was introduced to their music in concert, as they opened for Sky Cries Mary at my college. They're also one of those bands that you actually can't pull apart their albums too much. Yes, songs blend into each other, some fade from memory, others leave you wondering what you heard played, some meander a bit too much & too long, others you have to hear again, but its the experience of the whole here that's the magic. Martsch will run you through the gauntlet & other times craft a lullaby. Yet, he somehow never sounds like a show-off pretentious guitar rocker making music just for musicians. Intricate & unpredictable & unlike anything you've heard before - B2S is the real ultimate alt rockers.

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