Neil Young is the man, but damn if Built To Spill don’t just kill it here. “Cortez The Killer” off Young’s 1975 album Zuma, is the topic of part IV of the cover wars.
This is an older blog, probably won’t be seen, but this cover of “Cortez the Killer” was absolutely pivotal in my understanding, appreciation, and overall love for Built to Spill and Neil Young. Though Neil has never been known, in my experience, to pull “Cortez” to side-length, he sufficiently jams and puts more emphasis on the lyrics. Built to Spill are known for those solos you can get lost in, and though many “modern music fans” detest such musical expeditions into the ether, the almost post-rock “build-release-relapse-explode” progression of the song can catch a listener off guard and produce genuine emotional response. No scientific explanation can truly relate why music makes us feel the way we do, but leave it to Neil Young to make Mesoamerican conquest an issue close to the heart of indifferent America.
1 | Shivar Decrescendo November 11th, 2008 at 11:41 am
This is an older blog, probably won’t be seen, but this cover of “Cortez the Killer” was absolutely pivotal in my understanding, appreciation, and overall love for Built to Spill and Neil Young. Though Neil has never been known, in my experience, to pull “Cortez” to side-length, he sufficiently jams and puts more emphasis on the lyrics. Built to Spill are known for those solos you can get lost in, and though many “modern music fans” detest such musical expeditions into the ether, the almost post-rock “build-release-relapse-explode” progression of the song can catch a listener off guard and produce genuine emotional response. No scientific explanation can truly relate why music makes us feel the way we do, but leave it to Neil Young to make Mesoamerican conquest an issue close to the heart of indifferent America.
1 | Shivar Decrescendo November 11th, 2008 at 11:41 am