Today, Built To Spill is excited to announce Built To Spill Plays The Songs of Daniel Johnston, out May 1, 2020 via Ernest Jenning Record Co. The album is comprised of 11 tracks of Daniel Johnston’s fractured pop, presented through the eyes of Built To Spill.
The band recorded these songs as a trio (Doug Martsch, Jason Albertini and Steve Gere) in August 2018 during rehearsals for their performances backing Daniel Johnston, though Johnston himself does not perform on the album. Rolling Stone debuted Built To Spill’s version of “Bloody Rainbow,” where the band also elaborated on the genesis of the album. “It was pretty special for us,” Martsch told Rolling Stone. “Basically we wanted to get good documentation of what our rehearsals were like. It was a lot heavier than what I thought it would be.” Hear “Bloody Rainbow” below…
The album art was created by longtime Built To Spill designer Tae Won Yu, and its first pressing is on yellow vinyl with download codes and a 32 page songbook. A mail-order only variant on clear vinyl with yellow and blue splatter (limited to 500 units) will be available exclusively from Ernest Jenning Record Co. and Built To Spill’s Bandcamp page.
