Built to Spill - Keep it Like a Secret

My first listen to "Keep it Like a Secret" was a bit of a revelation. Having grown up listening to my father's record collection and everything else I could get my hands on I was under the assumption I had heard all of the sounds a guitar could make; and yet Doug Martsch manages to squeeze something new out of the instrument on this record. The album was criminally overlooked by many upon its 1999 release although when you remember Britney Spears was in peak form in those days you can kind of understand. After a couple albums of traditional pop songs Built to Spill had shifted their sound to more wide-open soundscapes on "Perfect From Now On" before refining and combining their influences to produce the stunning "Keep it Like a Secret." If for some unexplainable reason you make it to track #6 ("Time Trap") and have yet to recognize the genius of the album then the 2 minute instrumental intro ought to take care of that problem. The guitar sequencing is frankly some of the best I have ever heard and when I try think of anything that has topped it since it's release I'm not able. From guitar atmospherics to technical breakdowns Martsch has all of his bases covered. Roughly 1:45 into "The Plan" Martsche somehow manages to make his guitar squeal & bark in a way sure to be new to many ears. There are too many highlights on this album to cover each and every one, but the final track below "Carry the Zero", was included for its simply majestic melodies sewn together into one classic Built to Spill moment. "Keep it Like a Secret" is one of the finest albums to come out of the 90s and well worth taking that old CD player out of the closet to give it a spin if you haven't in a while.