Keep It Like a Secret

Keep It Like a Secret
Studio album by Built to Spill
Released February 2, 1999
Recorded Nov 1997; Apr-May 1998
Genre Indie rock
Length 46:53
Label Up Records/Warner Bros. Records
Producer Phil Ek and Doug Martsch
Built to Spill chronology
Perfect from Now On
(1997)		 Keep It Like a Secret
(1999)		 Ancient Melodies of the Future
(2001)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
Robert Christgau[2]
Entertainment WeeklyB[3]
Melody Maker[4]
NME7/10[5]
Pitchfork Media9.3/10[6]
Rolling Stone[7]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[8]
Spin9/10[9]

Keep It Like a Secret is the fourth full-length album released by indie rock band Built to Spill, and their second for Warner Bros. Records. The original tracks for the album were recorded on Nov 1997 at Bear Creek studios in Woodinville, Washington by Phil Ek, with overdubs recorded on mid 1998 at Avast! Recording Co. in Seattle, Washington.[10] Keep It Like a Secret was released on February 2, 1999. The album spawned two EPs: Carry the Zero and Center of the Universe. Pitchfork ranked the album at #41 on their "Top Albums of the 90s" list (1999).[11]

Album Notes

After feeling burned out from constructing the lengthy songs on his previous album (Perfect from Now On), Doug Martsch made a conscious decision to write shorter, more concise songs for Keep It Like a Secret.[12] Many of the songs on the album originated from a week's worth of band jam sessions in Boise.[13] During these marathon jam sessions, which could last up to five hours at a time, Martsch used a foot pedal that triggered a tape machine to begin recording. He would later comb through the hours of recorded music and find parts that he liked, methodically building them into songs.[14]

The song "You Were Right", which features a collage of now-cliche lyrics from songs by The Rolling Stones, The Doors and Jimi Hendrix (among others), almost didn't make the album due to perceived copyright issues. At the last minute, Warner Bros. Records secured permission for the band to use the lyrics.[15] In a 1999 interview with The Onion, Martsch described how he wrote the song: "...I came up with the chorus, 'You were wrong when you said, 'Everything's gonna be all right,' and then I decided the verse would be, 'You were right when you said...' something more pessimistic. And then I knew immediately that it was going to be a bunch of clichés, and I decided to use other people's clichés." [16]

Track listing

All songs written by Built to Spill except "Broken Chairs," which includes lyrics by the poet Uhuru Black.

  1. "The Plan" – 3:29
  2. "Center of the Universe" – 2:43
  3. "Carry the Zero" – 5:44
  4. "Sidewalk" – 3:51
  5. "Bad Light" – 3:22
  6. "Time Trap" – 5:22
  7. "Else" – 4:09
  8. "You Were Right" – 4:45
  9. "Temporarily Blind" – 4:48
  10. "Broken Chairs" – 8:40

Extra song on vinyl only: "Forget Remember When"

Personnel

Musicians

Additional musicians

Production

External links

References

  1. ↑ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Keep It Like a Secret – Built to Spill". AllMusic. Retrieved April 22, 2016.
  2. ↑ "CG: Built to Spill". Robert Christgau. Retrieved 2011-06-17.
  3. ↑ Lanham, Tom (March 5, 1999). "Keep It Like a Secret". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved April 22, 2016.
  4. ↑ "Built to Spill: Keep It Like a Secret". Melody Maker: 47. May 16, 2000.
  5. ↑ Martin, Piers (January 28, 1999). "Keep It Like A Secret". NME. Retrieved April 22, 2016.
  6. ↑ Josephes, Jason (February 23, 1999). "Built to Spill: Keep It Like a Secret". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved April 22, 2016.
  7. ↑ Fricke, David (January 26, 2003). "Keep It Like A Secret". Rolling Stone. Retrieved March 5, 2014.
  8. ↑ Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian, eds. (2004). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide. Simon & Schuster. pp. 118–19. ISBN 0-743-20169-8.
  9. ↑ Hermes, Will (March 1999). "Built to Spill: Keep It Like a Secret". Spin 15 (3): 140. Retrieved April 22, 2016.
  10. ↑ "Built To Spill - Keep It Like A Secret at Discogs". Warner Bros. Records, Discogs. Retrieved July 18, 2015.
  11. ↑ "Acclaimed Music Forum". Pub37.bravenet.com. Retrieved 2011-06-17.
  12. ↑ Peisner, David (1999-04-28). "Built to Spill - Interview - The A.V. Club". The A.V. Club. Retrieved 2015-06-20.
  13. ↑ Maffeo, Lois (1999). "Built to Spill: Secret Stars". CMJ New Music Monthly (College Media, Inc.) (March 1999): 22. Retrieved 2015-06-20.
  14. ↑ "Elements of a Song - In the Studio with Built to Spill". Emplive.org. 2006-05-28. Archived from the original on May 28, 2006. Retrieved 2015-06-20.
  15. ↑ Maffeo, Lois (1999). "Built to Spill: Secret Stars". CMJ New Music Monthly (College Media, Inc.) (March 1999): 22. Retrieved 2015-06-20.
  16. ↑ Peisner, David (1999-04-28). "Built to Spill - Interview - The A.V. Club". The A.V. Club. Retrieved 2015-06-20.
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