Which indie rock band released the 1999 album 'Keep It Like a Secret'?

The indie rock band that released the 1999 album “Keep It Like a Secret” was Built to Spill.

Built to Spill released “Keep It Like a Secret” on February 2, 1999. It was the Boise, Idaho, band’s fourth studio album and second release for Warner Bros. Records. Doug Martsch led the group during this period, and the album balanced his intricate guitar work with shorter, more immediately melodic songs.

The record followed “Perfect from Now On,” whose long, expansive compositions had established Built to Spill as a major indie-rock act. Martsch wanted the new material to be more concise, but the album still retained the band’s layered guitars and spacious arrangements. “Carry the Zero” and “Center of the Universe” became two of its best-known tracks.

Listeners sometimes confuse the album with records by Pavement or Modest Mouse because all three bands are associated with 1990s American indie rock. Their sounds and histories overlap, but neither released “Keep It Like a Secret.” The album was recorded in Washington state, including sessions at Bear Creek and Avast! Recording, and is often considered one of Built to Spill’s essential records.