Built To Spill

Built To Spill was formed by Doug Martsch (formerly of Treepeople) in 1992 and originally joined by Ralf Youtz and Brett Netson. They soon completed their debut album, and Ultimate Alternative Wavers was released in 1993, followed by 1994's brilliant There's Nothing Wrong With Love on Up Records, which is a piece of indie-pop history you should probably own.

In between the two albums, Martsch rotated the Built To Spill line-up, bringing in Brett Nelson and Andy Capps in place of Netson and Youtz. Brett Nelson and Brett Netson were obviously different people, but their similar names confused many.

Post-second album, Martsch signed the band up to Warner Brothers, and as part of the deal every subsequent album released by Warner has also been licenced to Up Records for a vinyl release. Andy Capps left the band, Brett Netson rejoined and Scott Plouf became the fourth member as Built To Spill expanded from a trio. After their Warner debut, third album Perfect From Now On, Nelson and Plouf became permanent members of the band. Tough luck, Netson.

1999 saw the release of fourth album Keep It Like A Secret, which was not only met with critical acclaim, but also considerable commercial success. Listeners of Steve Lamacq's Evening Session in the late Nineties might remember 'Center of the Universe', which remains a hidden pop gem to this day.

After a live album, entitled Live, the fifth BTS long-player Ancient Melodies of the Future (2001) was released. This also included Sam Coombes of Quasi and Heatmiser (the original band of Elliott Smith). A lengthy break followed, somewhat accidentally. Martsch released and toured a solo album in 2002, before Built To Spill hit the road, playing 150 shows between 2003 and 2005, but their sixth studio album was delayed due to various time constraints and unforseen delays.

You In Reverse finally saw the light of day in April of 2006, and again included Coomes as a guest, as well as Brett Netson playing guitar on several tracks, although by the time the album was released he had left the band, replaced by Jim Roth. More bad luck struck when Martsch suffered a detatched retina in late March, leading to various show cancellations.

The band are currently rumoured to be recording a follow-up to You In Reverse, which saw a UK release in 2007. Sadly, former member Andy Capps passed away at the end of the spring, 2006.