There’s a constant debate among my music snob peers as to whether our ’90s obsessions—Pavement, GBV, Olivia Tremor Control, Bjork—will stand the test of time. When we are cruising in the countryside in our sixties will the deejay cue up a Liz Phair song on the classic rock station? A lot of the music of that decade has not been built to last and fallen through the cracks already. An even smaller number, though, has survived. Doug Martsch is such a survivor, and based on the tenacity shown at a recent show, he’s still got hooks for days. I found myself playing Built to Spill “guitar hero” to the seamless flow of the band’s everlasting hit parade. The guy deserves immortality if only for a song like “Car,” yet with Untethered Moon (Warner Bros. Records), his band’s eighth album, he shows no sign of slowing down.

“Living Zoo” is a perfect encapsulation of everything that is irresistible about Built to Spill’s back catalog. Crammed with melodies that appear from the aether following wooly guitar freakouts and sublime jams, it has enough to instantly fill any void the band’s four-year absence has created. It’s the sound of rejuvenation and of a confidence that Martsch can still write an epic song, both sonically challenging and catchy as a Top 40 hit.

Another testament to Built to Spill’s staying power is that they remain tethered to Warner Bros. and apparently have carte blanche. Untethered Moon goes off the rails in spots, like on the campy operatics of “C.R.E.B.” and the eight-minute finale “When I’m Blind,” full of histrionic fireworks courtesy of Martsch. But these moments feel more experimental than conceptually crafted, and there’s a sense that they let loose in the studio. When the album peaks, as on the vagabond anthem “On the Way” and the bubblegum single “Never Be the Same,” it’s reminiscent of Built to Spill’s golden era, like a stopgap between the pop whimsy of There’s Nothing Wrong with Love and the mindful sprawl of Perfect From Now On.

Few bands who have survived the era can say they are still making vital records of this quality. Sure it’s nostalgia that drives the most interest in something like Untethered Moon, but it’s also cemented a perception that when looking back on Built to Spill 20 years from now they will be one of America’s greatest living rock bands and not just the fodder of the Alternative Nation.