Keep It Like a Secret

Once he signed Built to Spill to a major label, frontman Doug Martsch decided to take advantage of the larger budget and make the nearest thing to a pop album that he could. In other words, it still features the intricate musicianship we expect, but the sublimely fractured indie songs are punchier and the sound is seriously hi-fi. Martsch’s extended guitar pieces still sneak their way in (“Time Trap”, “Broken Chairs”), but the melodies of “Center of the Universe”, “You Were Right” and “Else” are cheery compared to their lyrics.