The Splendid End - Demonstration Suite
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| The Splendid End - Demonstration Suite |
Well this is a bit different. I
mean, it's not groundbreaking but Minneapolis band The Splendid End are
certainly drawing on some references that I haven't heard in music for a little
while. Opening track 'Whine', for example, sounds like a slowed down Blondie or
Belly having a go at a woozy ballad while 'Grey' is part Pixies and part Velvet
Underground from the brooding bass line to the lazy drums. By the time we wash
up on 'Holkham Beach' to the sound of a gentle piano lullaby the likes of
Tennis spring to mind as Amy Buchanan's sweet voice drifts over the salty air
only to be drowned out by some triumphant and uplifting guitars a la Iggy and
the Stooges.
I'm intrigued by the song
'Falmouth Princess' seeing as I live quite close to the original Cornish
fishing town but before long the acoustic punk of 'Part Two' takes over and
there is no let up. The minds of Albarn and Coxon could easily have concocted
'Saturated' while 'Afterafew' and 'I Can't Promise A Thing' show signs of
garage and shoe-gaze influences respectively. There are thirteen tracks on this
album and each one feels individual and well thought out which is so
wonderfully refreshing that it is worth making a note of. 'Add Alcohol', which
features the simple but effective lyric of "Add alcohol and watch things
fall apart" is a mess of percussion and layer upon layer of organs,
guitars and vocal harmonies. The Blondie references are there for all to hear
on 'Gone Wrong' and 'Adult Entertainment' but there is a real 70s feel to the
moods created that drift from punk to psyche to juddery rock'n'roll. The final
pair of tunes starts with the bone rattling drumming of 'Make Up, Break Up' and
ends with 'Dear Baby', a song which is a Veruca Salt sized set closer that can
only finish in a whirlwind of distortion and cymbals. This is a truly original
sounding album with a melting pot of influences behind it that most people
would agree is tantalising. I wholeheartedly recommend giving this a few
listens to get the most out of it.
More information: https://www.facebook.com/TheSplendidEnd?fref=ts
Listen/Download: http://splendidend.bandcamp.com/