Doug Martsch and his bandmates in Built to Spill are known to channel exquisite and off-kilter indie songs. Singer/guitarist Martsch’s gliding tenor leads the way dipping up and down through his passionate, wandering melodies. With a catalog of songs built out of whimsical lullabies, cosmic dreams, and adult psychologies, the band are perhaps the only one deftly suited to take on the songs of left-field indie artist Daniel Johnston.
Recorded as a trio during rehearsals for their stint as Daniel Johnston’s backing band, Plays the Songs of Daniel Johnston isn’t as much a new follow-up in the band’s discography as it is a slight detour off the beaten path. But when that detour includes earworms such as “Bloody Rainbow,” “Good Morning You,” and “Life In Vain”—all songs that are so well executed they could pass as Built to Spill compositions, or, at the very least, band B-Sides—it’s hard not to hail their decision. Other tracks on the LP such as “Honey I Sure Miss You” and “Queenie the Dog” bear the sole mark of Johnston’s lonely, humorous fragility, filtered through Built to Spill’s semi-polished aesthetic. While the rest, including standout tracks “Mountain Top” and “Fake Records of Rock & Roll,” seamlessly stitch the two musical realms together. Martsch can’t match the eccentricities of Johnston’s vocal delivery, but he doesn’t attempt to either. Instead, the songs are a combination of perfect pop and indie rock culled from both sides of this fruitful relationship. Combined, Johnston and Built to Spill make a fitting pair, foils in one way but each one distinct.
The trio of Martsch, bassist Jason Albertini, and drummer Steve Gere, keep the record loose and the album includes false starts, punched notes, and studio chatter. It gives the record an aura of experimentation and trial and error. The songs sound like rehearsals, scratch takes for the band to sort through, but that’s a plus overall. It makes the album sound like an intimate living room concert; the closeness in Martsch’s guitars and vocals is palpable, bass and drums are warm and direct. Built to Spill are smart enough to know not to overwork Johnston’s songs into the ground and the durability of these 11 tracks comes from their simple delivery. Martsch hasn’t sounded this romantic and relaxed since There’s Nothing Wrong With Love’s fan-favorite song, “Car.” Especially on “Impossible Love” when Martsch sings, “You hurt me so bad/You were the best friend I ever had…impossible love/Just can’t get to you.”
Plays the Songs of Daniel Johnston is a quick trip in and out of the world of Daniel Johnston. At 35 minutes, it tracks as the shortest of Built to Spill’s long players. The brevity plays well, too because, musically, Built to Spill iron out some of the creaking nuances that can turn unfamiliar or less adventurous listeners away from Johnston’s homegrown recordings. But traces of his spirit reside in every song, especially in the echoes of his wry, plaintive lyrics. Johnston doesn’t appear on the recordings, but his ghost is present, giving life to the compositions in the singular way only Johnston could. (Johnston passed away from natural causes at 58, just as the record began the final stages of production.)