Built to Spill vs. Mercury Rev
Good morning!
Today we’re taking a look at Built to Spill’s Ancient Melodies of the Future as it takes on All is Dream by Mercury Rev.
Note: As many of you saw, I recently wrote about a Best Record of 2001 challenge and noted that I’d be writing some of these up.
The plan is to do quick hits on each first-round matchup and post them directly to the page. Some will be longer, some won’t, and some might just be a handful of sentences. There’ll probably be a few typos. We’ll also have a few guest posts along the way, so make sure to stay tuned for those!
Check ’em out and let me know your thoughts! Chin wags & hot takes welcome! Sharing and restacks always appreciated.
KA—
At one point during Riot Fest, I posted a screenshot of Sunday’s lineup to IG with the caption “please help.” The dinnertime choice was a 3-way tie between Dinosaur Jr, Best Coast, and TVOTR. The night would end with Jawbreaker’s reunion, an incredible moment I feel lucky to have been a part of. The day had kicked off with an early afternoon set from That Dog (killed it) and The Mighty Mighty Bosstones (meh, but it was hot, and they still insisted on wearing suits. Who could blame ‘em?!). Anyway, in between all of that, Built to Spill was slated to play. The latest in many, many opportunities we’d had to see them over the years. We chose to…go get something to eat instead. I say this not as a dig against the band, but to set the stage (sorrynotsorry) for my relationship with them. They’ve always been sorta in my orbit, but never really grabbed me the way they did other friends in my circle. I thought having a specific reason to listen would pull me in where other circumstances have failed. Dear reader, this did not happen. I kept waiting for a lightning bolt of revelation to strike. I’m still waiting.
A record should grab you by the collar and make you gin up excuses to put off whatever it is you’re supposed to be doing. For this match (both records, really), I kept finding reasons to stall playing them.
Part of this, I think, is that 2001 itself was such a weird era for me, life-wise. Weird in a good way, but one almost utterly bereft of any new music discovery or going to shows. Along with that, both Built to Spill and Mercury Rev were “bigger” in an era when I was looking the other way. My diet was a lot of synthpop, some industrial (see also: the trifecta of Ministry, NIN, and New Order, back-to-back on Friday), and then 80s college radio staples like The Replacements and REM. Keep It Like a Secret and Carry the Zero were already in the rearview mirror, and I hadn’t even turned the radio on.
Mercury Rev was the sort of fever-dreamy music usually enjoyed by people with big thoughts and who wrote think-pieces. Which is to say I find it exhausting. There are some strings, and it’s symphonic, but it all strikes me as a try-hard version of The Flaming Lips. I hate punching down (there’s no glory in emulating early era pitchfork), but this sort of overwrought, overbuilt material has always struck me as unnecessary. And I’m someone who likes symphonic and melodic (see also: New Order above). Maybe I should have done more hallucinogens. My biggest takeaway from All Is Dream is that I’m happy I was on the clock while listening to it.
Ancient Melodies of the Future is…fine. I will say that “Strange” is a killer track, and while listening (okay, 3x in a row), I wondered if I’d been mistaken for overlooking them all these years. “Fly Around Little Miss” is pretty good, too! Had it come out a few months earlier, I could very easily see myself singing along to it as I drove cross-country back to Portland. I found “In Your Mind” relaxing (?). Maybe not the best adjective for a record beloved by hipsters the world over. So be it. The rest, though? Just sorta went by in a blur. And in the end, we’re right back to where we started. Enjoyable enough record. Solid even. A couple of highlights I’m glad I found. But nothing compelling enough to stall getting work done or even going to get something to eat—I decided to go to lunch before playing it. Long live Doug Martsch, and good on him for being one of Boise’s best exports. Maybe one day I’ll get it, but today’s not that day.
Bottom Line:
Went with Built to Spill on the strength of “Strange,” and they’re being (more or less) a PacNW band.
Any thoughts on either of these records? Agree/disagree with my takes? Which one of these would you vote for? Sound off in the comments!
Kevin Sent 