Built to Spill Plays the Songs of Daniel Johnston

Built to Spill Plays the Songs of Daniel Johnston
The interior of a house drawn in a cartoon style. In the front left, a person plays the piano, from which a thought bubble flows, in which a person is riding a horse. To the right, a person sits on stairs.
Studio album by
Built to Spill
ReleasedJune 12, 2020 (2020-06-12)
GenrePop rock, Indie rock
Length34:25
LabelErnest Jenning
Built to Spill chronology
Untethered Moon
(2015) 		Built to Spill Plays the Songs of Daniel Johnston
(2020) 		When the Wind Forgets Your Name
(2022)

Built to Spill Plays the Songs of Daniel Johnston is a 2020 tribute album by indie rock band Built to Spill covering the works of outsider musician Daniel Johnston. It was released on June 12, 2020, by Ernest Jenning. The album was conceived after the band completed touring with Johnston during his final two concerts in November 2017. The album received mostly positive reviews.

Background and release

Built to Spill accompanied Daniel Johnston at his final two concerts in November 2017;[1] band member Doug Martsch described the two shows as "good" and "weird".[2] During the tour, the band recorded covers of Johnston's songs while rehearsing.[2][3] Martsch later said that the band had recorded the songs "for ourselves and our friends".[2] In the fall of 2018, the band spontaneously recorded Johnston songs during a session in their former guitarist Jim Roth's studio, and then decided to record an album of Johnston songs.[2][4] Johnston died on September 11, 2019, before the album's release.[2] The album largely covers songs that Johnston recorded in the 1990s.[5] The album's release was pushed back from May 1 to June 12, 2020 as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, which caused shipping issues.[2][6]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
AnyDecentMusic?6.2/10[7]
Metacritic70/100[8]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[5]
American Songwriter[9]
Flood8/10[10]
No Ripcord6/10[11]
Pitchfork6.7/10[12]
PopMatters4/10[13]
Under the Radar7/10[14]
Uncut7/10[15]

According to the review aggregator Metacritic, Built to Spill Plays the Songs of Daniel Johnston received "generally favorable reviews" based on a weighted average score of 70 out of 100 from 9 critic scores.[8]

Several critics praised the album for its faithfulness to Johnston's musical style and lyrical tone. Tim Sendra, writing for AllMusic, said that the album used a "low-key, almost relaxed style with slightly distorted guitars and a loose rhythm section backing Martsch's wistful vocals", while capturing "Johnston's mix of shattering pathos and irresistible melodies" and the "openhearted, almost painfully innocent nature of Johnston's songs".[5] In Under the Radar, Scott D. Elingburg said that the album was "a combination of perfect pop and indie rock", with "traces of [Johnston's] spirit resid[ing] in every song".[14] Likewise, Flood stated that although "the playing is more polished and proficient, less raw and ragged, than Johnston's ever was, his playful spirit is most definitely here, listening, smiling, nodding along to his own songs".[10] Shawn Donohue in Glide described the covers as "straight ahead renditions" of Johnston's songs and said that the album "succeeds" as a "loving document to a unique songwriter".[16] By contrast, Chris Rutledge in American Songwriter said that the album "stands as a testament to the songs and to the band reimagining them".[9]

PopMatters rated the album 4 out of 10, describing it as "pretty lackluster" and "too plain for its own good";[13] No Ripcord said that the album "sounds as nondescript as the album title itself".[11] Pitchfork rated the album 6.7 out of 10 and said that it had "nothing of the strange and messy spirit that animates Johnston's music".[12] By contrast, Holly Hazelwood, writing for Spectrum Culture, criticized the band for failing to take ownership over the covers, stating that "you'd be hard pressed to find the band's fingerprints anywhere – so tracks like the bouncy 'Life in Vain' or 'Queenie the Dog' could have been done by any other gentle, three-piece indie rock band".[17]

Track listing

Built to Spill Plays the Songs of Daniel Johnston track listing[18]
No.TitleLength
1."Bloody Rainbow"2:24
2."Tell Me Now"3:00
3."Honey I Sure Miss You"3:29
4."Good Morning You"1:32
5."Heart, Mind and Soul"4:28
6."Life in Vain"3:25
7."Mountain Top"2:05
8."Queenie the Dog"3:36
9."Impossible Love"2:44
10."Fake Records of Rock & Roll"4:08
11."Fish"3:20
Total length:34:25

Personnel

  • Jason Albertini – bass[18]
  • Steve Gere – drums
  • Doug Martsch – guitar, vocals
  • Chris Parks – mastering
  • Jim Roth – engineer
  • Tae Won Yu – artwork

See also

References

  1. ^ Kim, Michelle Hyun (July 26, 2017). "Daniel Johnston Announces Final Tour". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on April 23, 2023. Retrieved April 22, 2023.
  2. ^ a b c d e f Ayers, Mike (April 15, 2020). "Built to Spill Reflect on That 'Good, Weird' Tour With the Late Daniel Johnston". Billboard. Archived from the original on July 7, 2023. Retrieved July 7, 2023.
  3. ^ Martoccio, Angie (February 3, 2020). "Built to Spill Announce Daniel Johnston Cover Album, Share 'Bloody Rainbow'". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on January 29, 2023. Retrieved October 18, 2022.
  4. ^ Hislop, Christopher (May 13, 2020). "How Built to Spill Became the World's Best Daniel Johnston Cover Band". Spin. Archived from the original on April 22, 2023. Retrieved April 22, 2023.
  5. ^ a b c Sendra, Tim. Review of Built to Spill Plays the Songs of Daniel Johnston at AllMusic. Retrieved October 17, 2022.
  6. ^ DeLeo, Isabella (February 3, 2020). "Built to Spill to Release a Daniel Johnston Tribute Album". Paste. Archived from the original on August 1, 2021. Retrieved October 18, 2022.
  7. ^ "Built to Spill Plays the Songs of Daniel Johnston by Built to Spill (reviews)". AnyDecentMusic?. Archived from the original on October 21, 2022. Retrieved October 17, 2022.
  8. ^ a b "Built to Spill Plays the Songs of Daniel Johnston by Built to Spill Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic. Archived from the original on October 19, 2022. Retrieved October 17, 2022.
  9. ^ a b Rutledge, Chris (September 7, 2020). "Built to Spill Impressively Tributes the 'Songs of Daniel Johnston'". American Songwriter. Archived from the original on December 9, 2022. Retrieved October 17, 2022.
  10. ^ a b Pearlman, Mischa (June 12, 2020). "Built to Spill – Built to Spill Plays the Songs of Daniel Johnston". Flood. Archived from the original on December 1, 2022. Retrieved October 18, 2022.
  11. ^ a b Rodriguez, Juan Edgardo. "Quick Takes (November 2020 – Covers Edition)". No Ripcord. Archived from the original on January 27, 2023. Retrieved July 23, 2023.
  12. ^ a b Greene, Jayson (June 13, 2020). "Built to Spill – Built to Spill Plays the Songs of Daniel Johnston". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on February 24, 2023. Retrieved October 17, 2022.
  13. ^ a b Vellucci, Justin (April 28, 2020). "Built to Spill's Daniel Johnston Homage Is Too Plain for Its Own Good". PopMatters. Archived from the original on October 19, 2022. Retrieved October 17, 2022.
  14. ^ a b Scott D., Elingburg (June 16, 2020). "Built to Spill – Built to Spill Plays the Songs of Daniel Johnston". Under the Radar. Archived from the original on October 22, 2022. Retrieved October 17, 2022.
  15. ^ "Built to Spill – Built to Spill Plays the Songs of Daniel Johnston". Uncut. May 2020. p. 25.
  16. ^ Donohue, Shawn (June 9, 2020). "Built to Spill Plays the Songs of the Late Daniel Johnston". Glide. Archived from the original on October 5, 2022. Retrieved July 23, 2023.
  17. ^ Hazelwood, Holly (June 18, 2020). "Built to Spill: Built to Spill Plays the Songs of Daniel Johnston". Spectrum Culture. Archived from the original on October 19, 2022. Retrieved July 23, 2023.
  18. ^ a b Built to Spill Plays the Songs of Daniel Johnston (liner notes). Built to Spill. Brooklyn, NY: Ernest Jenning. 2020. EJRC167.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)