Built To Spill - Keep It Like A Secret

2x LP
All-analog recording
Includes bonus track
NO digital version included


Audio Quality: 4.5/5
Song Quality: 4.5/5
Packaging: 3/5


Oh! So THIS is where Death Cab for Cutie got all their ideas from! Seriously, what a revelation this is! This is like an Oasis fan first hearing The Beatles, or like a Coldplay fan hearing Radiohead's "Fake Plastic Trees" for the first time, and coming to the unbelievable realization that someone else did exactly what you like about your band years before your band even got started. And way better, too. Yeah. In fact, it's EXACTLY like that, except for the fact that I'm not a DCFC fan at all. I've always found them mediocre at best and devastatingly boring at worst. So you can imagine my pleasant surprise when I dropped the needle on this record and heard songs closely resembling the indie alternative-rock aesthetic that Death Cab for Cutie do so blandly and half-heartedly, but this time absolutely brimming with life, intensity, and originality. I can certainly see why Ben Gibbard thought it'd be wise to lift their sound and run with it, and he's been quite successful in doing so, but listening to this album proves that if you want the real thing, you've got to go to the source and not settle for a cheap imitation. Now, I'm gonna make a note that my girlfriend LOVES Death Cab, and we're gonna quickly move on before I dig an even deeper grave for myself.

When I'm listening to a new album, especially for review, I like to take little notes as I listen so I can remember which songs are which. For this album, I had my little notepad document open on my iPhone (yeah, I'm a dork) ready to go, but as I listened to this record, I took no notes. The experience was simply too consuming for even that minimal of a distraction. As such, I am not prepared to do a "highlights / lowlights" section of this review. Sorry. I know that I liked some songs more than others, but the album as a whole was just excellent. It's most important to me that you know this, and then you can discover your own favorites when you give it a listen. Because you will. And then you'll listen again. I cannot wait to listen again.

Aside from the similarities Built To Spill hold to some more modern hacks... whoops I mean acts... you can hear influences from Dinosaur Jr, Sonic Youth, Shudder to Think, Sunny Day Real Estate, etc. For the most part, these tunes are undeniably catchy, with noisy production, lead-guitar heavy arrangements, and long instrumental sections. It has the immediate quality of sounding sophisticated and unique, even 10 years after the original release, while also clearly paying tribute to some of the bands that influenced and helped pave the way for it. When I listen to this record, I hear something that sounds transitional, like a cornerstone for a new musical movement which spawns countless new acts. This album feels like, and pretty much is, THAT important of a recording. Most modern "indie" bands owe a lot to these guys, and the proof is in the grooves.

I'm told that every Built To Spill album to-date has been recorded to analog tape. There's a bunch of articles stating that their forthcoming release has been recorded on Pro Tools, and that's a shame. Now's not the time to START using Pro Tools guys... people want wax! Anyway, this album comes plastered with an "All-Analog Recording" sticker on the front, and based on what I've read about the band, it seems like they're pretty serious about a pure analog recording and mixing process. Sweet. It's a great sounding record, no question. It's clear and aggressive without clipping or compression, and the guitar tones especially sound powerful and brilliant. As a general rule, when playing a record, I like to sit on the edge of my bed in front of my speakers, shut my eyes, and listen. It's what I perceive to be the "sweet spot" in the stereo image. This is the chosen method for me, and it's also the method that Joanna Newsom described her ex-boyfriend doing all the time. As such, from now on it shall be referred to as the "J-NEX Method". Write that down. Now, for me the J-NEX Method is the best way to listen to a record approximately 95% of the time. It allows me to hear all the nuances of the music most clearly, and absorb all the sound available to me without any obstacles. However, the J-NEX Method is definitely NOT the best way to listen to this record. I found the album sonically cluttered and almost overwhelming while listening this way. So I stood up, turned the volume up a little louder, and listened while sort of pacing around my room. It sounded excellent. The bass became clearer and more articulate, I could hear the guitar frequencies better, and the vocals settled into the mix effortlessly. So take note of that for your own listening experience. Highly recommended. But if you find a better way (for any record I review, in fact) holler at me.

Packaging is basic. The two LPs are contained in those generic white paper sleeves I talk so much about. Both of them are stuffed into a single slipcase package, which is a bummer. If it's a double LP, I want a gatefold package. Give it to me. This record retails for about $20, which is definitely too much to not include a CD/download with. If these releases came with digital copies, I'd own them all by now. As it stands, this is the only Built To Spill record I've got, though I'll definitely be buying Perfect From Now On ASAP. Also, note that these are (I think) 150-gram records, but definitely less than 180-gram. Extra points for having a bonus track previously not available on CD... but other than that this package is not great.

Of all the new records I picked up this week, this one is definitely my favorite. Great sound and great songs... this record will definitely get a lot of spin time. I'll pick up more of their albums soon.

PS: I shouldn't have been so mean to Death Cab For Cutie and similar bands earlier in this article. It's worth noting that while I would never call myself a fan of DCFC, I do like some of their songs, and I LOVE The Postal Service album. So it's not all hate. I'll also borrow my girlfriend's copy of Narrow Stairs in the next couple weeks and review that, just to prove that I'm fair and balanced. Like FOX News. But seriously, after poking fun at Morrissey yesterday and Death Cab today, I don't want to be perceived as a hater. I love it all. I really do. No I don't.

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I have no idea what will be reviewed for Monday. It's gonna be a surprise for all of us. See you then!