at a glance...

Hometown: Boise, ID
Formed: circa 1992

Personnel:
Doug Martsch -vocals, guitars
Brett Nelson -bass
Scott Plouf -drums

Bands In The Family:
Farm Days, The Treepeople, Quasi, Caustic Resin, The Halo Benders, The Spinanes

Notes:
Built To Spill is many things to many people, but to Doug Martsch, BTS's founder and songwriter, BTS is the lasting endeavor of many years of band swapping and indie notoriety. Doug started out in Farm Days in Boise and later collaborated with other local heroes to form the infamous Treepeople. Treepeople enjoyed its own brand of success but eventually dissolved, but in 1993 Doug and his new incarnation, Built To Spill, made their debut with Ultimate Alternative Wavers. Quickly developing a devoted following BTS put out their now legendary second album There's Nothing Wrong With Love. And in 1997, once again changing their lineup, BTS put out their highly acclaimed third album and first major label release, Perfect From Now On. Keep It Like A Secret is their second release for Warner Bros. Live, culled from three '99 performances, was released in 2000 due to overwhelming fan demand.

Links:
Interview with Doug Martsch
Built To Spill Mothership
Built To Spill Photo Gallery
We Love Built To Spill

Believe the hype. Built To Spill is back once again to take you to new levels of pop star adoration. On Keep it Like A Secret, the band's second major label release, Doug Martsch surprises us again with a completely different, yet even more cohesive record to date. Another surprising fact for devout BTS fans is that Martsch decided to remain faithful to Scott Plouf and longtime cohort Brett Nelson by keeping them on this record. And the end result of this trio's chemistry is nothing short of aural bliss.

Keep It Like A Secret needs no time to warm up in the old stereo. Unlike the dreamy, timeless feel that dominated Perfect From Now On, this album affects you immediately as "The Plan" sets the pace for this sweetly inspired guitar-driven record. Martsch's knack for crafty songwriting and lyrical profundity shine throughout this epic pop record like the gold chain 'round Mr. T's neck.

"Sidewalk" epitomizes this notion as the band wavers between super-happy, feel-good rock and bass-driven, up-tempo guitar slatherings. "Bad Light" is a slightly more moody song with its off-kilter guitar riff and unusual structure, but it sticks out nonetheless as a perfect example of the transient creative force that infects this group. Martsch's sense of humor also pops up on a few brilliant occasions. In "You Were Right," he takes the titles and choruses of some of rock's most famous songs and spits them out at you over a backdrop of swirling guitars. You can see the grin on his face as he sings, tongue-in-cheek, "You were right when you said manic depression's a frustrated mess."

Perhaps the secret they're trying to keep here is that Built To Spill quite frankly write some of the most original, interesting and catchy pop songs you'll ever hear. Their sound is infective and their sincerity refreshing. You need this record to remind yourself that, yes, amid the barrage of nauseating "talented musicians" out there, people are still making damn good music. Maybe that's the real secret that Built To Spill have to offer.