''Built to Spill Plays the Songs of Daniel Johnston'' is a 2020

tribute album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early 20th century as individual 78 rpm records c ...

indie rock Indie rock is a subgenre of rock music that originated in the United States, United Kingdom and New Zealand from the 1970s to the 1980s. Originally used to describe independent record labels, the term became associated with the music they produc ...

band Built to Spill covering the works of

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musician

Daniel Johnston Daniel Dale Johnston (January 22, 1961 – September 11, 2019) was an American singer, musician and artist regarded as a significant figure in outsider, lo-fi, and alternative music scenes. Most of his work consisted of cassettes recorded a ...

. It was released on June 12, 2020, by

Ernest Jenning Ernest Jenning / Ernest Jenning Record Co. is an independent record label established in 2002 in Jersey City, New Jersey. EJRC has been based out of Brooklyn, NY since 2003. The label is run by Pete D'Angelo and Gandhar Savur, and is home to arti ...

. The album was conceived after the band completed touring with Johnston during his final two concerts in November 2017. The album received positive reviews.

Background and release

Built to Spill accompanied

at his final two concerts in November 2017; band member Doug Martsch described the two shows as "good" and "weird". During the tour, the band recorded covers of Johnston's songs while rehearsing. Martsch later said that the band had recorded the songs "for ourselves and our friends". 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. Johnston died on September 11, 2019, before the album's release. The album largely covers songs that Johnston recorded in the 1990s. 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.

Critical reception

Several critics praised the album for its faithfulness to Johnston's musical style and lyrical tone. Tim Sendra, writing for

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, 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". In '' Under the Radar'', Scott D. Elingburg said that the album was "a combination of perfect pop and indie rock", with "traces of ohnston'sspirit resid ngin every song". 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". 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". By contrast, Chris Rutledge in ''

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'' said that the album "stands as a testament to the songs and to the band reimagining them". ''

PopMatters ''PopMatters'' is an international online magazine of cultural criticism that covers aspects of popular culture. ''PopMatters'' publishes reviews, interviews, and essays on cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, fi ...

'' rated the album 4 out of 10, describing it as "pretty lackluster" and "too plain for its own good"; ''No Ripcord'' said that the album "sounds as nondescript as the album title itself". ''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". 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".

Track listing

Personnel

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

References

External links