REVIEW: Splender, Halfway Down The Sky (Columbia)
- Bill Holmes
If Matchbox 20 can be thought of as a dynamic band with their finger on the pulse of the moment, then Splender should have no problem owning those same airwaves. I just don't know if that's a compliment.
The first six tracks on the record could almost be listened to at random, although the choice of the staccato-guitar "What I Don't Understand" as the opener is probably a wise one. "Yeah, Whatever", the single, builds nicely, and along with "Spaceboy", "Monotone" and "Special" makes for a decent start. The best cut, "I Think God Can Explain", is that type of heart-bleeding ballad that you just know a youth oriented nighttime soap will snap up as background music for lover's longing looks.
But after those six cuts the record goes downhill fast. I can't quite put my finger on what it is that they are missing. They're all good players, and singer Waymon Boone has a strong, radio-friendly voice. No one gets lost in overdone noodling solos - in fact most of the playing is compact. What I do see, however, is a band trying hard to oversell its weaker material through overblown angst. "Supernatural" and "Spin" are the worst offenders, examples of cliche alternative rock that we've all heard a thousand times before.
Todd Rundgren produced the record, which astounds me. Not because he hadn't produced anyone in years - and the fact that he did is quite a coup for a new band - but because it lacks all the usual Runt touches. No uptempo pop moments, no Beatle-ish harmony arrangements, and certainly no sense of humor. The band, and apparently Todd, took the whole thing so seriously that there's nothing left to fall back upon when the song isn't there. And for Splender, that’s about half the record.
The press release touts the intensity of the band's performance and writing, stating that the songs "explode, withdraw, seduce and then overwhelm". So far, I'm only operating on the first two cylinders.
