Built to Spill is one of my favorite bands of all time. While they don’t always sit at number one, there will always be a spot in my top three bands for Doug Martsch and Co. I will treasure my three-minute conversation with Doug Martsch and Brett Nelson for the rest of my life. I put this information out there to let readers truly understand that reviewing a Built to Spill album is incredibly challenging for me. Unlike other albums where I can formulate an opinion pretty quickly, share it, and move on, There Is No Enemy is one album that I spent days confused about. I’ve given it about ten listens, and changed my mind more than a few times. My final decision, which I will hopefully stick with, is that the newest Built to Spill album is excellent. I won’t put it up there with their incredible 90’s trio of There’s Nothing Wrong With Love, Perfect From Now On, and Keep It Like A Secret. However, There Is No Enemy is probably their best album of this decade because of the emotional charge to it that I couldn’t associate with their last two releases.
If there is one thing I can say comfortably about Built to Spill, it would be that they haven’t had a bad opening song for any of their albums. For whatever reason, the first song on each of their seven albums has always been great. “Aisle 13” continues this trend, being one of the best songs on the album in many ways. If you haven’t heard the song multiple times it might hit you in a strange way, as the opening riff is sort of weird and complex. The song doesn’t make tons of sense lyrically, but being sort of weird is a Built to Spill specialty. The music is atmospheric and powerful, and Doug Martsch hits the mark perfectly on the singing. “Hindsight” was the first song released to the public from There Is No Enemy. The upbeat music isn’t what I love about Built to Spill, but the affectionate crooning along with some random kind words about Canada makes it a pleasant song.
“Nowhere Lullaby” made me immediately think of “Kicked It In The Sun.” It has the same calm nature, gorgeous singing, and slow guitar that makes “Kicked It In The Sun” such a great slower song, while still managing to maintain its own unique personality. “Good Ol’ Boredom” is a pretty simple follow up, and it doesn’t showcase much of the talent that Built to Spill have. It’s a nice enough song, but it plays more like a happy jam then anything too serious. The most negative thing I could say about “Good Ol’ Boredom,” is that it’s just sort of boring. The feeling doesn’t last for “Life’s A Dream,” which instead shifts to one of the most emotional tracks on the record. “Life ain't nothin but a dream, realistic as it seems,” sings Martsch. The song contains a near perfect guitar solo. While I haven’t decided if you could call it a pick-me-up song, or more of a downer, it’s still one that works well with most emotions.
“Oh Yeah” and “Pat” are connected in that they work off of each other pretty well. While neither is a spectacular song, “Oh Yeah” lets you in on some deep religious perspective. Martsch follows his doubtfully agnostic statement with “Pat,” a song that gives tribute to Treepeople, an older Martsch project. If you haven’t heard Treepeople, try to imagine a punk rock band with furious speedy guitar solos and the vocals you hear with Built to Spill. It may seem weird, but both Treepeople albums are absolutely awesome. “Pat” is less than three minutes of fast, punk rock intensity that doesn’t seem like typical Built to Spill, but sounds like they’ve been doing this forever.
“Done” is another slow paced, guitar heavy song that really got my attention. Something about longer, bittersweet Built to Spill songs really gets to me. As usual the instruments are done in a mellow but impressive fashion, with a long instrumental session to end the song. It’s one that Built to Spill must like too, as both“Done” and “Hindsight” are the songs being played on the current tour. As the album hits its later points, the songs get stronger in melody and mood. “Planting Seeds” is a song that isn’t too complex musically, but still very catchy. There are more lyrics in this song than most other Built to Spill songs, giving Doug Martsch a chance to flex his vocal abilities in numerous tones.
The tenth song, “Things Fall Apart,” is possibly my favorite on the album. There is no sweet to cut the bitter on this track, making it a song fit for a sad day more than others in the Built to Spill catalog. “It doesn't matter if you're good or smart, God damn it, things fall apart,” declares Martsch. Also, there is a great trumpet solo, providing an unexpectedly brilliant touch. You’ll have a bad day eventually, and when you do I recommend this song. The album ends with the dreamy “Tomorrow.” It’s the longest song on the album, with a few different changes in the mood of the music throughout. Don’t skip this one, because it develops into something pretty intense.
When all is said and done, Built to Spill have done little wrong in my book. I didn’t expect for a moment that There Is No Enemy would be a letdown. The only concern I had would be if this album was too similar to the formula Built to Spill used for their last releases. I needed an album that worked as a structure, with enough good songs to merit numerous full listens. Built to Spill has produced an album that sounds similar to their best album in many ways, and lets me continue my never-ending love for them. There are a few low points, but the high points are, as usual, so very high. There Is No Enemy is another example of why the perfect indie rock band will always be just that to so many. The live performances are epic, the music is great over and over again, and this fan remains satisfied with a group that, for the moment, is his favorite ever.
Track List:
1. Aisle 13 (3:17)
2. Hindsight (3:38)
3. Nowhere Lullaby (3:59)
4. Good Ol' Boredom (6:31)
5. Life's A Dream (4:53)
6. Oh Yeah (5:21)
7. Pat (2:40)
8. Done (6:53)
9. Planting Seeds (4:26)
10. Things Fall Apart (6:15)
11. Tomorrow (7:40)
