Product Description

When making the new album There Is No Enemy, Doug literally lived in the studio working all day and night. He spent hours and hours laying down guitar tracks he realized he couldn't use since the first live takes had the best tone and feel. He had to undigitally remix the record. It has the sound and feel of the album that every Built To Spill fan has been anxiously awaiting.

Track Listing

1. Aisle 13
2. Hindsight
3. Nowhere Lullaby
4. Good Ol' Boredom
5. Life's A Dream
6. Oh Yeah
7. Pat
8. Done
9. Planting Seeds
10. Things Fall Apart
11. Tomorrow

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #973 in Music
• Released on: 2009-10-06
• Number of discs: 1
• Format: Explicit Lyrics
• Dimensions: .19 pounds

Customer Reviews

Built to Spill - There Is No Enemy
There Is No Enemy is something of a return to form for a band that practically invented that form in the first place. Built to Spill's 90's albums pretty much set the standard for what indie rock could and should be: sprawling, elegant, aggressive. At the turn of the century, the band seemed to lose their way, producing a couple of decent albums in 2001 and 2006, but ultimately failing to achieve the sheer perfection that they did on their earlier works. Fortunately, it seems like Doug Martsch has found some new inspiration, because this is an excellent set of songs that sound like classic Built to Spill, with all the riffage and confounding lyrics that go with that.

The album on a whole is a really strong set of indie rockers, but one of my particular favorites is "Hindsight," which is something of a midtempo ballad that manages to cover a ton of ground in its mere three minutes and some seconds. I think it's safe to say that Built to Spill fans will love this record and the lack of indulgent sprawl that marred some of You In Reverse's best moments.

Break Out The Water. Kinda Celebrate.
Built to Spill is back with another great album. For a band that his existed coming up on twenty years, the quality of the music they continue to produce is astounding. There Is No Enemy features some of the best songs the band has ever recorded (Life's a Dream, Tomorrow, Pat, Hindsight), as well as what are quite possibly the best lyrics Doug Martsch has ever written. And Tomorrow is probably the finest album closer in Built to Spill's history, and this is a band with a history of great album closers (Broken Chairs, The Weather, et al).

Built to Spill's There Is No Enemy has my highest recommendation, and is without a doubt one of my top albums of the year.

A Solid Album That Fits In With The Bands Work
I think most BTS fans will find 'There Is No Enemy' to be a decent but unspectacular album in the band's lineup. Its place in the band's heirarchy has more to do with BTS's consistently good output over the last 15 years than any serious shortcomings the album has.

In production quality, the album has a similar feel to 'You In Reverse' but it lacks some of the previous album's excess, and has a more laid back, melodic feel. Most of the songs sound as if they originated from Doug's pen first, with jams put around it instead of the other way around. Aside from minor instrumentation additions, there's nothing really new for BTS. The biggest difference is that Doug's lyrics seem more straight forward than in album's past, he sings openly about things like love and disappointment throughout most of the album.

For me the high points were the first 5 songs on the album and the closer 'Tomorrow', which I thought was very good. I was not elated when I first heard this album, but I'm not disappointed either. Built To Spill sounds like a band that has refined its sound into something unique and enjoyable, but has also taken it as far as it can go. I imagine I'll continue to enjoy the work of Built To Spill, but I will no longer be surprised by anything they do. As long as they continue on their current track, I'm okay with that.