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. more ›

Built to Spill’s Doug Martsch speaks on evil record companies, Phil Collins, the ugly faces of politicians, shitty guitar solos, future collaboration with Modest Mouse, and old reggae guys getting high. Alright, so Built to Spill is one of the greatest, most influential, and most acclaimed bands of the past fifteen years. There's really no way around it. And for those of you who are a little late to the love-in, here's a very small sample of some of the things that have been said about them:         "A band whose talent and proficiency at times seem[s] boundless." --Pitchfork Media         "Flawless." --Trigger Magazine         "In short, he's a talent more people ought to know about." --Rolling Stone, on Doug Martsch         "Better than getting laid, finding God and winning the lotto combined." --San Francisco Weekly, just last week when discussing their live performance more ›

Because we feel like you don’t have enough Canadian music in your life, we’d like to propose to you yet another opportunity to get your Canuck on . This Sunday night at Emo’s, Vancouver denizens Ladyhawk will bring some genuine, riff-heavy Canadian goods and prove, once again, that Neil Young’s influence knows no limits. Ladyhawk play the kind of guitar rock that Canada would be famous for, if only the border extended far enough south... more ›

Indie rock heroes Built to Spill released a fanfuckingtastic record back in April. Indie, of course, not referring to the band’s connection with some obscure label (they’ve been a part of the Warner Bros. empire since ’97), but to the noisy noodling guitars, the heady lyrics, the melodic/dissonant chords, and catchy songwriting that (arguably) began somewhere near Chapel Hill in the late 80s, spread to the northwest via Boise, and finally lost significance about... more ›

If there's anything worth the pain of showing up for work on Monday morning exhausted, a Band of Horses show at The Parish is probably it. Known for their My Morning Jacket-ish vocals, early Doug Martsch guitar sound and undeniable old-yet-new familiarity, Band of Horses promises to be a fantastic show. They recently played a show at the Bowery Ballroom in NYC , blessing the crowd with a cover of Hall & Oates' "You Make My Dreams", so you know it's going to be awesome. more ›