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| Indeed! |
Splendid is an enormously satisfying offering to anyone who loves mid-90s alternative rock, and finds themselves, from time to time, nostalgic for the union of gentle strumming with intense banging, and whispering reflections with belting self-exploration.
Lead singer, Ogg's vocals are immediately familiar, but not exactly easy to place. He's somewhere between Willy Nelson and Rivers Cuomo, while sounding dreamier and softer than the former, and firmer and realer than the latter.
Splendid's instrumentation flows richly all over itself, much like the fitting cover art. On "Summer Stench," guitar riffs lead you one way, overlap themselves, and turn you around twice, before pushing you beneath a waterfall of refreshing drums. "WWBMD," could have very easily been released in 1997 as part of a major motion picture soundtrack - with its happy distortion and scratching, confused lyrics, fake ending, and roaring instrumental climax.
Songwriting on Splendid captures the relatable ennui of being twenty-something while reluctantly participating in fledgling modern society and, as is the inherent responsibility of art, transforms observational frustration into something tolerable, enjoyable, and remarkable.
My top 5 picks:
1. 'Fore Animal Days - This instrumental track is my favorite, only for how dreamy it sounds. I spent the first 45 seconds waiting for lyrics to come in, but once I realized they weren't coming I got it.
2. Summer Stench - Classic over exaggeration, and I love it. But then again, anyone who's lived in New York in the summer knows how terribly awful it smells in the heat, and how unbearably hot it can feel. I don't know if that's what they're talking about, but that's what I thought about.
Favorite line: "Take me down to the planet's core."
3. The Dock - Sounds like a good old fashioned rock and roll and dance song. The drums come in around 25 seconds, which is 15 seconds after the vocals start, and through the first and second verses I'm bopping the whole way, waiting for it. It delivers. I think it's about boning on the beach, but maybe it's the moonshine.
4. We Are All Fucked - Considering it has 'Fuck' in the title this song is very pretty. It's soft and confessional, and raw, and pretty. Favorite line: "We're all graspin' for somethin' we just can't reach."
5. The Night - This one opens with speed and kick and punch, that only lets up briefly for some feel good "ooh-ooh-ing" in the middle of an otherwise upset song. The Night is the perfect anthem for anyone who feels like their life is Office Space.
Favorite line: "God, I hate growing up."
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