Keep It like a Secret

I’m early on this submission it seems, so I can’t quite tell how the broader userbase views this album. Hopefully we agree that this is one of the high watermarks of the 90s (indie) rock scene

I’ve been thinking that it wouldn’t be too hard to correct the main list’s glaring blindspot(s) when it comes to American alternative and indie from the 90’s: drop the 4 Morrissey solo records, cut back on some of the multiple submissions from The Verve and Blur and the like and there’s plenty of room to better tell the story of American indie in the 90’s. I really don’t think it would take too much. Luckily, the user base here has been pretty spot-on with their choices from this era and Keep It Like a Secret is no exception. Built To Spill dials up the bombastic guitar heroics another notch here, even if its predecessor “Perfect From Now On” was not lacking in that department in the slightest. Where “Perfect…” might have felt insular and close, Keep it Like a Secret sounds huge and wide open. Just 40 seconds into the record, when the chiming guitars and wordless “ahhh” vocal harmony hits, it’s like the sound of a new world unfurling itself for you, a veritable playground for the guitar wizardry of Doug Martsch. His lead guitar is languid and melodically beautiful, but not without the ability to turn on a dime and melt face…and there are layers and layers of it, with plenty of twists and turns, to enjoy here. 5 easy stars.

Keep It Like a Secret is another great indie rock album by Built to Spill. Amazing songs and impressive guitars (technically simple, but mesmerising melodies). "Carry the Zero" and "Broken Chairs" are epic.

10/10, some really top tier 90s indie here - Built to Spill truly is a treasure

Started listening to this band in early undergrad, wasn't nearly mature or listened enough to appreciate the songwriting depth until the past few years but I'm glad I got there. It's hard to pick a fav BtS LP, but this one is up there – it has some of the most aggressive arrangements and guitar parts of their catalog, but maintains the wry human spirit that defines this band thanks to Dough Martsch's excellent lyricism. It's one thing to tell a compelling story, much less to set it against some excellent grungy guitar with ripping harmonies and chord progressions. So glad to see this LP here, honestly the whole BtS discog deserves to be on the list and it's a crime there's not a single one on the official 1001.

Listened to this on repeat during a very memorable roadtrip in college. It will forever be a part of me.

Rating: 7/10 Best songs: The plan, Carry the zero, Else

Cool album. Best song for me was the last one

Conjures up images of roadtrips, lost love and youth gone by.

I prefer Perfect from Now On. (I like tge extended jams) But this is still great.

Carry the Zero is one of my favorite rock songs and it seems so timeless.

Built to Spill are one of those underrated bands from a time filled with some great music. Their alternative/indie rock style was a bit ahead of its time and this album is them at their best. They have always felt like a more mature version of blink 182/sum 41. Would not only listen to this again but would recommend it as well. 8.2/10

If the 90s was an album, it would sound like this. I enjoyed this album overall. I never felt blown away, but it was good from the beginning, and remained solid throughout. Just really solid poppy alternative rock 4/5

Generic late 90s indie rock sound. You've heard other bands do it better, but you've never heard THIS band do it *just fine*!

I didn’t mind it but I couldn’t remember it to three days later so had very little impact I’m afraid. That’s not to say it wouldn’t have if I gave it more time.

Classic 90’s alt rock. My favorite song was “you were right” as it was cool hearing all of the song references. I think I could come to enjoy this will multiple listens.

This is my favorite BtS album.

I hadn’t listened to any music from this band in a while, and enjoyed diving back into them!

I grew up in Boise and Built to Spill was very much was a huge influence and a gateway to the very early foundation of establishing my music tastes. This is not my favorite nor most personal album of theirs, but it's undeniably great and likely the height of what Doug made in the 90s. I love this album and know it inside and out. Stoked to see it come up today.

Like everything not mainstream from the 90s, I came to Built to Spill late. But so glad I eventually got there. "Keep It Like a Secret" is just about flawless, and "There's Nothing Wrong With Love" is pretty close behind, and so is "Perfect From Now On" and I could keep going. The real BTS.

Not super my indie rock thing but given its the 90s and not super long, that is a plus. A little mute for me likings but still not that bad. My personal rating: 3/5 My rating relative to the list: 4/5 Should this have been included on the original list? Slight yes.

Built to Spill is about the quintessential Indie Rock act in my book and this is a fine example of their work with an absolute peak level album title to boot. You Were Right is probably in my top five indie rock classics.

Another album from the period of the great schism in US and UK indie. This is a good album, plenty of cross over appeal to the UK ears.

One loved this record upon hearing the very first chords of “The Plan” – it just announces itself, doesn’t it, as a proud expression of indie rock truths and tropes and traditions. And then, a few songs in, there’s “Carry the Zero,” driving, uplifting, knowing, and endearingly weird lyrically – a viable candidate for the indie rock national anthem (easily in top 25 all-time pure indie rock tunes, in one’s view). “You Were Right” reads as both critique and homage to classic rock wisdom – it’s complicated, of course, and Martsch doesn’t seem to discount their value so much as wonder how far such pithiness can go. Overall, the record feels like a statement – unapologetically guitar-driven, shaded in its mood and tonalities, richly subtle in the layerings, determined and inspiring (if not quite fully triumphant) in attitude, not afraid to rock but doing so in distinctly non-obvious and non-doofy ways, triangulating uniquely between alt rock, indie and arena rock, and easily transcending grunge. There’s both melancholia and majesty in the minor key chimings, the ratcheting up to crescendos that feel earned and unforced, rather than gestural or contrived. The odd chords and offbeat tempos feel warmer, wittier and more rounded than, say, Pavement; lovingly handcrafted authentically self-possessed, rather than studiedly slacker or purposefully ramshackle or DIY as market positioning. The record drips believability – like this is direct expression of identity, without posturing or performative, meta- behaviors. They’re also notable among ‘90s acts for testing one’s patience by filling every second of CD capacity. They remind one of Teenage Fanclub in some ways, eminently likable and unique in both advancing and enriching the rock tradition – strong arguments in favor or justifiable rockism. (Funny to think that Casablancas’ ambition was once to have the Strokes to be like Built to Spill or Guided By Voices.) One prefers (just a little more than slightly) the elevated and expansive nature of this record (which beautifully balances and integrates hooks and tunes without losing a certain rough-edged essence and a very faint echo of high lonesome) to the also excellent (and somewhat more subdued and offbeat) Perfect From Now On. Ancient Melodies also strong. Any of those records could/should replace some of the dimmer grunge, the dumber alt-rock (RHCP) and the metal (obvs), which just from ‘99 metal includes Incubus, Slipknot, Metallica). Thanks, recommender, great choice. (Now let’s have someone add GBV.)

Great indie rock record. Kind of in between some familiar styles (Neil Young, Weezer) but it works.

A good example of what it is. Nice share.

I only knew one song off this album, but I am glad to now know more songs off this album. They have good songwriting and lyrics. The vocals, instrumentation, and production all blend together very nicely. I think I just got fired from my job, so that’s a bummer, but this album slaps a good bit so it ain’t all bad. It is what it is. 4/5

Soild 90’s indie rock, happy to see it on the list

I enjoyed it

It’s Built to Spill!

Keep It Like A Secret is good, there are hints of Weezer about them at times I find, and this is well put together and fun to listen to. I liked Sidewalk, Else and Temporarily Blind the most, high 3 or maybe low 4.

lol I guarantee if I asked ChatGPT to give me an example of the most generic late 90s indie possible, it'd namedrop this. 3/5.

How crazy is it to say that Built To Spill might be a singles band? I can listen to songs like "Carry the Zero" and "Randy Describes Eternity" on loop, but trying to make it through any album by these lads is like swimming against the current of a waterfall.

Pretty good. Didn't love the singer's voice, but the music and songwriting were good. 3 stars.

Lots of external references, lots of loud noisy indie rocking. Not my thing but it was fine.

Let's put a pin in that Some of the album feels aimless and jammy, but then occasionally hits with a thing of beauty ("Else"). I think a future listen would be rewarding, since being new to the Built to Spill party, I was more occupied on trying to place them in the U.S. indie landscape rather than taking in the album as a standalone piece. There's a lot of indie on this extended list, have you noticed? I'm still processing the Modest Mouse one and that was months ago. Not to mention all the Canadian indie I've mostly ignored through my life, that I'm getting to on my own time (Karkwa, Broken Social Scene, Wolf Parade, you name it). "If all indie is critically acclaimed, then none of it is." -The Incredibles (2004) My New Year's Resolution for 2026 is to swear off indie rock like it's nicotine Between 3 and 5 stars HL: "Carry the Zero", "Else", "Broken Chairs" November 26, 2025

This was ok for me. I had another later album from them in my library so must’ve listened to them 24 years ago or so. Not earth shattering and probably wouldn’t make my version of this list but a solid listen.

Indie rock, alternative rock, dream pop. Ni fu ni fa.

Proper indie rock

According to the Wikipedia page, this album was selected as the best album of 1999, and this selection makes sense while listening to it now in 2025/2026. For the good and the bad parts of the best albums of 99.

Quite pleasant unchallenging. Played very professionally. I got a positive feeling from this although I wouldn't go looking for it again.

Gentle to the ear

Okay.

If you like Pavement but can’t get Pavement, or other well know bands like Pavement, then you are in luck!!

I always enjoy Built to Spill. It’s from my generation but actually came to them much later in my listening journey.

I don't know... I have this album, had a bit of a buzz and I tried to *really* like it for a while. Hints of Death Cab for Cutie in the vocals, pretty energetic melodic music without ever being overbearing, there's nothing I disliked. But I never came close to loving this - I suppose there's nothing wrong with that? They're just kind of.... Weezerish. Meh. I just never get any overwhelming (or underwhelming) sense of mystery, danger, emotion, or that indefinable magic that I'm looking for in my favourite music. It's a great "we're at a party" melodic rock album that I'll never reject but it's just sorta there. 6/10 3 stars IMO: Belonged in the book? No.

Not tooo bad

Meh. Built to Spill is for a specific style of fan, which I'm not.

Pop and space rock with a vocalist who annoys me. I'm left indifferent.

I can see the attraction to this album, but personally it wasn’t spectacular enough for me to be like oh yes wow love.

Meh. It's a Pixies lite...or a dangerous death cab for cutie.

Needed some good old Idaho rock to brighten my day, thanks! Keep listening to this music yes. Harmlessly passing your time in the grassland away... Only dimly aware of a certain unease in the air... Nono this is good music you're right, you are thinking...

the best secret is one you never heard #dnf