Customer Reviews

Incorporated

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

THIS DISC TOOK A FEW LISTENS FOR ME TO COMPLETELY ENJOY. IT'S EVERY BIT AS GOOD AS (MAYBE BETTER THAN) "PET SOUL," BUT IN A DIFFERENT WAY. I THINK IT'S A MORE MATURE SOUND FOR THE BAND, WITH A FEW MORE CURVE BALLS THROWN IN. THE LYRICS ARE MORE MATURE, THE SONGS A BIT MORE COMPLEX. GREAT HARMONIES, GREAT LEAD GUITAR WORK, MEMORABLE MELODIES THAT STICK IN YOUR BRAIN TILL THE NEXT MORNING. THIS STUFF IS ABOVE THE FRAY OF ALL THE KNOCK-OFF POWER POP BANDS OUT THERE...I DOUBT YOU'LL FIND ANY USED COPIES GOING FOR $6. THIS DISC IS A KEEPER.

Great album, an essential purchase. But let's stop all of this whining about Not Lame. NL is not some altruistic charity, it's a business that aims to make money. As proof, see the $19 purchase price for Incorporated, compared to about $15 at other distributors. The guy below has his experiences with NL, you've got yours.

In any case, buy Incorporated and you will not be disappointed by what is a criminally ignored band.

Besides, what has NL ever 'done' for Splitsville, except make a profit by making the no-brainer decision of selling their great records? Almost every audities entry by NL is some announcement that a new disc is in, so everyone go to Not Lame and buy it there because we're better than CD Baby and everyone else. Gimme a break.

The fifth Splitsville album is by far their most straightforward foray into pure power pop. Whereas the first two albums had speedier, punkier aspects, the brilliant third album Repeater was a textbook in a variety of pop styles and The Complete Pet Soul was a Dukes Of Rutlesphear-esque lark, this is narrowly focused. This could have been bad news, as it would have turned the bright colors of prior work into a monochromatic affair. However, the brilliance of their songwriting prevents that. There is no new ground broken. The pleasure comes from the sublime songs, that possess memorable and enticing sounds and articulate lyrics that separate them from so many pop bands today (or any day, for that matter).
From the get go, it's apparent the band worked very hard on developing these songs until they were 100 percent fat free. Moreover, the first song also shows that they are trying a new approach to the pop song. "White Dwarf" has relatively spartan lyrics that don't tell a story. Yet the music and words fit -- the effect is a more impressionistic song, where there are hooks, but the mood and feeling dominate. The song is essentially three melodic movements -- the melody of the verses, the melody of the chorus and the melody of the coda. The band plays the music with a large sense of scale, which fits the lyrics, where the protagonist is dealing with the cosmic reality of being a speck in a vast universe. This could be an existential musing or a heartbroken guy trying to put things in perspective. The song goes out on the mantra of "now on/I'll keep my feet on/solid ground", with the band building the intensity to a fever pitch.
Splitsville nearly equals the emotional impact of "White Dwarf" on a handful of other songs. "The Mentalist" sounds like a cross between America and recent Gigolo Aunts. The song's mellow Cali-vibe is tinged with resignation. It looks at how hard it is to deal with relationships, since you have no control and self-awareness can sometimes be more trouble than it's worth: "uncomfortable in my skin/I want to relive this life/blissfully ignorant/and easily satisfied." This song is a pretty downer.
On "Sasha", Paul Krysiak's electric piano adds an R & B tint to a McCartneyesque song in the tradition of Splitsville classics like "Manna". The lamenting of the verses is balanced by an empathetic chorus, where the singer is trying to reassure his lover that she doesn't have to run away (like she usually does). The inability to be emotionally intimate is not standard power pop song material, yet Splitsville pulls it off with ease.
And nothing sounds easier than "Headache", which may the most perfectly constructed pop tune I've heard since Redd Kross's "Mess Around". The song is 100 percent hook, from the lead guitar figures played by Matt Huseman and Tony Waddy (making his Splitsville album debut, and doing so in fine fashion), the creamy backing vocals, the melodies that fit together as if preordained, and a chorus that is impossible to get out of the head.
Splitsville hasn't lost its sense of humor, coming up with some crackling rockers. "Trouble" is a spinning top of a tune, allowing Brent Huseman to bash away at his drum kit and Matt and Tony to play chunky riffs, while the chorus ping-pongs along. On "Heart Attack", the band grafts spare verses with a semi-funk chorus that pulses and rocks. The best pop and rock combo is "Brink", where the band seems to call out bands that are in it for the fame or the shot at a major label deal, rather than doing what they feel: "If you are not/about to rock/then we will not/salute you." I particularly love the guitar leads at the end of the chorus, that sound like relics from Thin Lizzy (note: no other Lynott-ish content in the song).
It's notable that the rockers are the songs that retain the cleverness that has served Splitsville well from the beginning. On the slower songs, they really delve for something deeper and achieve it. What's particularly inspiring is that these two sides of the band compliment each other. This is the rare disc that I think is far too short at 10 tracks. Splitsville is one of the best rock bands around, and I hope that they can get back to the studio soon, as I'm yearning for more.

Highly recommended. Recommend purchase from Notlame.com. Ordered dozens of CDs from them (including this one) and never had a problem.

That other anonymous person is a moron, although s/he appears to have good taste in music.

an auditeer

Anyone who was fortunate enough to download the net only ep Splitsville posted about a year ago knows what to expect here.This disc definitely is a return to form ala Repeater and Ultrasound and if you are a fan of either of those gems you should dig this too.There are also traces of the Greenberry Woods' sounds here which makes sense since the GBW became Splitsville.If you are looking for another Complete Pet Soul you may be disappointed since there are only minor traces of the sunshine pop meets Beatles goodness of that wonderful release.
I do want to say that whoever took a pointless jab at Not lame without having the decency to sign his name deserves to be force-fed David Hasselhoff records until he apologizes. No one label or distro has done more for Splitsville and like minded bands than Not Lame and as a customer of Not Lame since their inception I can say I have never had any problems with their service.
Shame on that reviewer. I challenge him to state his real name and indicate any reasons to substantiate his attack.

...but let's give the drummer his proper due.
It's Brandt Huseman, not "Brent".
And everyone quit whining about Not Lame. Nerds.

First of all, do not buy this disc through Amazon; the price is ridiculous. Go to Splitsville.com, where there are links to several US distributors (do yourself a favor and avoid Not Lame like the plague- but that's another story).
That being said, Incorporated is certainly the best thing Splitsville has ever released. Those looking for another Complete Pet Soul will be disappointed, as that was a one-off homage to the Beatles and the Beach Boys. Another disc like that and Splitsville might as well be a tribute band. Which they ain't.
Incorporated is inevitably going to be categorized as a "power pop" record, which is not really true. The "B's" influences are there, but this disc truly rocks and Splitsville cranks it up like pre-Tommy Who. Pop, but much more power.
I won't bother giving you a song-by-song review, but every tune on this disc is a killer. Matt Huseman's singing has never been better (see lead off track "White Dwarf" and "Sasha"), Paul Krysiak once again brings great tunes and musicianship to the band ("Headache" and, in particular, "California"), and he compliments drummer Brandt Huseman perfectly (who shines on "The Next One" and "Trouble"). But new member Tony Waddy is the "X factor" here. His singing and guitar playing give Splitsville a kick up the rear, and his solos soar through the aforementioned "Dwarf", "Heart Attack" and others.
Do yourself a favor and pick up this disc. Forget about all of these "genres" (and "sub-genres"). Incorporated is a great rock and roll record. It still sounds like Splitsville, but the vocals, musicianship and of course the tunes are better than ever. Best here is "Brink", a kiss-off to the entire wimpy power pop genre, a challenge to all those "boy-cries-over-girl" bands to stop playing like the Archies, take the guitars out from under their chins, drop the axes down low, and ROCK OUT!