Former Treepeople frontman Doug Martsch formed Built to Spill in 1992 with Brett Netson and Ralf Youtz as the band's original members. In an interview with Spin magazine, Martsch stated that he intended to change the band's lineup for every album, with Martsch being the only permanent member. After the band's first album, Ultimate Alternative Wavers (1993), the lineup changing idea held true, as both Netson and Youtz were replaced by Brett Nelson (not Netson) and Andy Capps for 1994's There's Nothing Wrong With Love. A compilation album called The Normal Years, consisting of recordings by both the first and second trios, was released in 1996. Between recording albums in 1995, the band gained notoriety by playing on the Lollapalooza tour.
Martsch signed Built To Spill to the Warner Brothers label in 1995. Unlike many artists signed to major labels, however, the deal the band brokered with Warner allowed it to retain a large degree of creative control over future albums. Built to Spill produced its first major label release in 1997 with Perfect From Now On. By this time, the band consisted of Martsch, Nelson, Netson, and Scott Plouf. Perfect From Now On met with critical success and caused Built To Spill to become one of the United States' most recognizable indie rock bands. Before releasing another album, Martsch made Nelson and Plouf permanent members of the band. In 1999, the band released Keep It Like a Secret to continued critical success, and for the first time, significant commercial success. In response to fan requests, the Live album was released in 2000. The band's fifth studio album, Ancient Melodies of the Future, was released in 2001. Martsch also released Now You Know, a solo album with both blues and folk elements, in 2002. After 2002, Warner Bros. records signed the band to another album.
Built To Spill did not tour as a band in 2002 although Doug Martsch performed numerous solo concerts in support of his solo album. From 2003 to 2005, Built To Spill toured extensively with over 150 live performances, playing new songs live as early as 2004. In 2004, the band confirmed rumors that they had recorded another studio album in Portland, OR, titled You In Reverse. The album was not released in 2005 due to difficulties associated with the use of a new recording facility, inefficiencies associated with self-producing the album and time constraints. You In Reverse, the first studio album in five years, was released on April 11, 2006. The band's official lineup for the album featured Martsch, Nelson, Plouf, and Jim Roth, who was formerly a touring guitarist only. Former band member Brett Netson provided guitar work on several songs, Quasi's Sam Coomes provided keyboard work and Steve Lobdell, the owner of the Portland studio, plays on almost every song for the album including guitar, piano, vibes and percussion. Netson rejoined Built To Spill as an official member in 2006 after touring with the band in 2005.
The band announced an April/May 2006 tour in February 2006 in support of the new album. In late March 2006, however, frontman Doug Martsch suffered a detached retina that required surgery, causing the band to cancel its appearance at the South by Southwest music festival and postpone several of their tour dates. The band rescheduled the April and May tour dates in the fall, but most June dates on the West were not postponed. At their June 3, 2006 show, their first of the 2006 tour, Built to Spill played four unreleased songs that were not included on You In Reverse. This show also included the dedication of the song "Car" to former band member Andy Capps who had passed away a few weeks earlier that would continue throughout the tour.
In July 2007, Built To Spill released a new 12" vinyl single with two reggae-esque tracks, "They Got Away" and "Re-Arrange". According to Doug Martsch, BTS is not becoming a reggae band, they just "love to play it".
In 2009 Nelson replayed and recorded one song off of each full length Built To Spill album in ""New Wave circa 1982" style with analogue synthesizers and a drum machine having Martsch resing all of the songs and released it July 2010 through CDBABY,Itunes and Junketboy as The Electronic Anthology Project.Nelson's son (Nicholas) did the art/layout with the titles reworked as anagrams by his wife (Stephanie) he plans on future projects under the same moniker redoing other bands music.
Doug Martsch and original BTS drummer Ralf Youtz are also founding members of the much-loved, but short-lived, band the Halo Benders, with Calvin Johnson.
Youtz and Martsch are also brothers-in-law. (Martsch is married to Youtz's sister).
Ralf Youtz was leader of the Portland, Oregon band Ape Shape. He went on to pursue a Ph.D. in Mathematics.
Bret Netson is leader of the influential art/metal Boise band Caustic Resin, which put out a split 10" with BTS in 1995. That album has two different cover photos because a found photo was used without permission for the original version, but the photographer later found out and objected.
Traces
Built to Spill Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I know it's hard sometimes
For you to tell where you end
And where the world begins
You do your best to avoid assimilation
Guess that's the best you can do
All traces disintegrate
At night
My mind's exhausted and
Drained out of thought
And can't get back up
And when you know
How few things there are worth knowing
I suppose anyone who tries could forget
Responding now
To trains that crash before you
Never thought crashing could happen to you
And though the parts of it that matter change
All traces disintegrate
In "Traces" by Built to Spill, the singer reflects on the fleeting nature of life and tries to come to terms with the fact that everything eventually disintegrates. The opening lines are particularly powerful, with the suggestion that even in daylight, the things that are alive can never truly be hidden from view. The singer acknowledges that it's hard to distinguish between themselves and the world around them, but they do their best to avoid assimilation and maintain their own identity. The song then takes a more introspective turn, as the singer describes feeling emotionally drained and unable to think clearly, reflecting on the idea that there are few things in life that are truly worth knowing. The final lines tie back to the central theme of disintegration, with the suggestion that even the parts of life that matter most eventually crumble away.
Overall, "Traces" is a poignant meditation on the passage of time and the inevitability of decay. The lyrics are open to interpretation, but one reading might be that the singer is struggling with feelings of impermanence and trying to find meaning in a world that seems to be constantly slipping away. The song's languid, dreamlike melody underscores this sense of melancholy, making it a powerful and emotional listening experience.
Line by Line Meaning
Daylight can never really hide what's alive
The truth about something can never be hidden, no matter how bright it might seem
I know it's hard sometimes
Acknowledging the difficulty of navigating through life
For you to tell where you end
It can be hard to find one's individual identity
And where the world begins
When the world has a powerful influence on a person's identity
You do your best to avoid assimilation
Trying to maintain individuality and not conform to societal norms
Guess that's the best you can do
Despite trying to be unique, there are still limitations to individuality
And though the parts of it that matter change
Important aspects of one's life will inevitably shift over time
All traces disintegrate
No matter how significant something may seem, it will eventually disappear
At night
During quiet moments of reflection
My mind's exhausted and
The emotional toll of the day can leave one feeling drained
Drained out of thought
Having no energy left to think about anything
And can't get back up
The exhaustion is overwhelming and difficult to overcome
And when you know
When one is aware of the limited amount of knowledge they possess
How few things there are worth knowing
Realizing that there are only a few things in life that truly matter
I suppose anyone who tries could forget
It's easy for someone to forget what they thought was important
Responding now
Reacting in the present moment
To trains that crash before you
Responding to things that have already fallen apart
Never thought crashing could happen to you
Being surprised by unexpected failures
And though the parts of it that matter change
Important aspects of life are always in flux
All traces disintegrate
Everything eventually fades away with time
Lyrics © ROUGH TRADE PUBLISHING
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