(Photo Credit - Built to Spill)
Advance Review - Built to Spill: Built to Spill Plays the Songs of Daniel Johnston (June 12, 2020)
With Built to Spill Plays the Songs of Daniel Johnston, not only does the cult band pay tribute to the late cult singer/songwriter Daniel Johnston. They also memorialize their prior musical sessions with Johnston having served as his backing band for his final tour. Then ending result is an 11 track collection of covers that capture the uniqueness of both Johnston and Built to Spill.
Lead singer/guitarist Doug Martsch evokes his distinct vocal style that ethereally floats above the melody. What is particularly interesting musically on this one is we have more acoustic numbers than are typically present on a Built To Spill release, this was obviously influenced by the source material. While some may complain that the release isn't composed of originals, as we have missed Built to Spill since their 2015 release Untethered Moon. To those people, I would say, this is such a unique album, given the source material and the performers. It simply must be heard. Like most Built to Spill releases, it's best to just put this one on and let it go.
Rating - 4.5/5