|
Written by Mike Greenhaus
|
|
Thursday, 19 October 2006 |
Built To Spill
Irving Plaza, New York, NY
October 4, 2006
 It’s often difficult to tell which bands will cross over into what genres. But few live acts have been able to merge the freeform adventure of improvisational music with the edgy excitement of indie-rock as easily as Built to Spill. Over a decade into his career, Built to Spill’s primary visionary Doug Martsch has perfected his trademark blend of Crazy Horse’s guitar-rock with Stephen Malkmus’ frail introspection, helping the group age into modern-rock icons without fully moving away from its workingman roots. Indeed, Built to Spill still plays by punk-rock rules, even loading in its own gear before this sold-out Irving Plaza performance.
But while Built to Spill’s attitude is decidedly low-key, the group’s
performance style remains thought-out and artistic. Throughout the
night, Martsch acted as a visual DJ, helming a projector which
displayed trippy slides designed by album artist Mike Scheer. The
balding, bearded guitarist also occasionally made use of an onstage
noise box, which added quirky, colorful effects to his already unique
guitar tone. Proof that BTS is a true band, guitarist Brett Netson
served as the evening’s unofficial MVP, at times leading the quartet
through loose, inspired shuffles like “Untrustable” and the evening’s
fuzzy set closer, “Carry the Zero.”
Originally intended to be part of a promotional tour behind their
excellent new album, You In Reverse, Built to Spill’s annual Irving
Plaza multi-night stand was pushed back several months while Martsch
underwent eye surgery, allowing the group to dip a bit deeper into its
canon. Indeed, the quartet performed only two cuts from its latest
album, including “Goin’ Against Your Mind” and its sing-along single,
“Conventional Wisdom.” The evening concluded with a 15-minute
noise-rock jam which uncoiled out of “Broken Chairs,” a choice cut from
the group’s 1999 album Keep it Like a Secret. Afterwards, Martsch
unplugged his guitar and signed autographs while unloading his
equipment for the next evening’s sold-out performance. Mike Greenhaus
|
|
Last Updated ( Thursday, 19 October 2006 )
|
