For a little while there it seemed Built to Spill was fading into the background, that the mountain of awesomeness that was their 90s output had become but a memory of a fonder and more Clinton-esque era, and that the dog days of the aughts had put a damper on the six string noodling of the exceptionally liberal and ever-modest Doug Martsch. And then, when the expectations had reached a valley unlike any the band had seen since flannel shirts were all the rage, they dropped on us, seemingly out of nowhere, There Is No Enemy, quite possibly the best BTS release of the decade. This album, from top to bottom, feels like a resurgence of hope for the most famous band from Idaho (Idaho?), and the catchiness and energy of new tunes such as "Good Ol' Boredom" and "Aisle 13" means that it won't just be the old songs getting the crowd fired up. Basically, the show this Saturday night at Stubb's is not one to pass up, even if you've seen the bearded Martsch work his tenor before.
