Ride vs. Built to Spill

Ride vs. Built to Spill

Ride was known for their clarity compared to other shoegaze bands– vocals upfront and unembellished, drums not hidden by walls of sound, all of which created a more relatable sound than other shoegaze bands at the time.


Representing the diverse and creatively explosive scene in Olympia, Washington that bore Unwound, Sleater-Kinney, Modest Mouse, Elliott Smith, and many more for whom I sadly couldn't find a spot in the polls, we have Built to Spill. With their deadly combo of pop melodicism and layered guitar work, they were probably the most influential band in the scene.

^Yeah, early Modest Mouse is totally Built to Spill-influenced. I would also definitely recommend checking out the rest of the Olympia scene. Unwound is my personal favorite.

I've got a pretty weak foundation of shoegaze knowledge, as it happens.  I generally like what I've heard, but some day I need to explore it in more depth.

I'm a Built to Spill fan, so I gave them my vote.  Just listened to one of their albums this past weekend in fact.  One thing about them that troubles me, though.  Am I the only one who thinks their last album "There is No Enemy" was incredibly dull and disappointing?  Their prior album (which came after a similarly long hiatus) was so good, I didn't think they had it in them to do a cruddy album this late in their career.  At the very worst, I thought it would be predictable.