Keep Them Like A Secret

If you’ve never heard Built to Spill, let me first ask you this: Have you been living on the moon for the past 20 years, or in a subterranean cave with no light or sound? ’Cause if you haven’t, then there’s really no other excuse to have missed out on some of the most vital and interesting guitar rock produced in the Northwest since Nirvana.

There’d be no Modest Mouse without Boise’s Built to Spill or, for that matter, any of the hip Portland bands you’re into. Bandleader Doug Martsch is an anxious, post-punk, Crazy Horse-era Neil Young; singing over textured and intricate guitar work, Martsch redefines wizardry, building vaulted ceilings of cavernous sound and jamming without ever being jammy. But I haven’t even touched on what makes Built to Spill so great.

So far what I’ve described could be any number of talented indie-rock guitar bands. What sets Martsch and his boys apart is every bit of epic guitar noise, every sharp tempo change, every moody peak and valley that serves melancholy melody with a lot of heart. “Carry the Zero” from what is arguably Built to Spill’s best album, Keep it Like A Secret, shows the band relatively subdued. Martsch sings: “Now we can’t even touch it, afraid it will fall apart,” before the fuse blows and away the song fades into tidal waves of guitars and drums.

That same album opens with Martsch defiantly exclaiming: “The plan keeps coming up again!” from “The Plan,” and in “You were Right,” he concedes: “You were wrong when you said everything was gonna be all right,” but later admits: “You were right when you said all we are is dust in the wind.” Forget dust in the wind, Built to Spill will be releasing their umpteenth album in 2014.

Built to Spill plays with Slam Dunk and Junior Rocket Scientist 9 pm Tuesday, April 23, at Cozmic; $25.

A Note From the Publisher

Dear Readers,

The last two years have been some of the hardest in Eugene Weekly’s 43 years. There were moments when keeping the paper alive felt uncertain. And yet, here we are — still publishing, still investigating, still showing up every week.

That’s because of you!

Not just because of financial support (though that matters enormously), but because of the emails, notes, conversations, encouragement and ideas you shared along the way. You reminded us why this paper exists and who it’s for.

Listening to readers has always been at the heart of Eugene Weekly. This year, that meant launching our popular weekly Activist Alert column, after many of you told us there was no single, reliable place to find information about rallies, meetings and ways to get involved. You asked. We responded.

We’ve also continued to deepen the coverage that sets Eugene Weekly apart, including our in-depth reporting on local real estate development through Bricks & Mortar — digging into what’s being built, who’s behind it and how those decisions shape our community.

And, of course, we’ve continued to bring you the stories and features many of you depend on: investigations and local government reporting, arts and culture coverage, sudoku and crossword puzzles, Savage Love, and our extensive community events calendar. We feature award-winning stories by University of Oregon student reporters getting real world journalism experience. All free. In print and online.

None of this happens by accident. It happens because readers step up and say: this matters.

As we head into a new year, please consider supporting Eugene Weekly if you’re able. Every dollar helps keep us digging, questioning, celebrating — and yes, occasionally annoying exactly the right people. We consider that a public service.

Thank you for standing with us!