Recorded at Avast! Recording Co., Seattle, Washington.

Lyricist: Karena Youtz.

Personnel: Doug Martsch (vocals, guitar); Brett Nelson (guitar, Moog synthesizer); John McMahon (cello); Scott Plouf (piano, Moog synthesizer, drums, percussion); Robert Roth (Mellotron); Peter Lansdowne (drums).

Audio Mixers: Doug Martsch; Phil CK.

Recording information: Avasti Recording Co., Seattle, WA.

Not many groups would take a major-label contract as a cue to put out an album where the shortest song is still a radio-unfriendly five minutes in length. For that listeners can thank their stars that Built to Spill isn't like many groups and Doug Martsch not like many artists. Perfect from Now On manages the amazing trick of being the band's best album to this point, Martsch and company using the opportunities for larger budgets and distribution to create an album at once inspiring and quietly emotional, not the easiest combination to pull off. With drummer Scott Plouf and bassist Brett Nelson as the other core performers, plus second guitarist Brett Netson and cellist John McMahon as key guests, the result is astounding all around. The length of the songs allows the band to create uniquely post-everything mantras, blending psych trances and drones, post-punk airiness and flow, and Martsch's affecting, tender singing and lyrics into a whole. Martsch's high tones and the guitar passion here helped fuel further comparisons to Neil Young -- to pick out one moment, consider the closing minutes of "I Would Hurt a Fly," feedback peeling out over the rhythm and strings -- but the Boise musician is his own man through and through. Selecting standout moments from such a solid disc almost defeats the purpose, but many examples still deserve further notice. "Stop the Show" builds to a dramatic, but not in the least bit hammy, shift from a roaring wash to a quick, clipped pace; Martsch's vocals and further sudden tempo switches are the icing on the cake. "Velvet Waltz" indeed plays at that musical pace, McMahon's playing and Martsch's heartbreaking, lovely lyrics and singing the core of a incredible song. "Untrustable/Part 2 (About Someone Else)" concludes a simply fantastic record. ~ Ned Raggett

Whereas on 1995's BUILT TO SPILL CAUSTIC RESIN EP, Built to Spill main-man Doug Martsch used a couple of silly premises and a Kicking Giant cover to get to the guitar flamethrowas, on PERFECT FROM NOW ON, Martsch and fellow axe-grinder Brett Netson duel on tunes that could've been some of the loveliest, most inventive, three-minute guitar-pop of the '90s. Could've been, that is, without those fantastic duels. Instead, PERFECT FROM NOW ON, the band's major-label debut, strikes a balance between tunesmanship and molten-lava guitar flow.

Martsch, who has surrounded himself with a revolving cast of players for most of Built To Spill's existence, has an unassuming voice, and the lyrics on PERFECT FROM NOW ON hint at insecurities and doubts. There is no such insecurity in the music. Martsch's melodies arrive as unexpectedly as darkened fireflies, flaming brighter as they move forward. His guitar--think Hendrix/Sonic Youth eruptions not typical blues-metal ego tripping--carries these melodies on the lips of a symphonic squall that also incorporates assorted cellos and analog synths. The melodies and guitars and squalls are everywhere; you just never know where they're coming from.