[rating=7.00]
Jason Narducy’s career follows a different path than most and though isn’t a well-known name, he has been a support player in many celebrated acts. As a bassist he has played with Bob Mould Band (of Hüsker Dü fame) and Superchunk, as well as being credited in the Sonic Highways documentary with forming the punk band Verboten with Dave Grohl’s cousin which in turn inspired Grohl to pursue music. Narducy’s side project the past couple of years has been the power pop fueled super group Split Single. On their 2014 debut Fragmented World Narducy was joined by Spoon’s Britt Daniel on bass and Superchunk drummer Jon Wurster. For his sophomore release Metal Frames Narducy keeps Wurster on drums and Daniel is exchanged for Wilco’s John Stirratt.
Metal Frames opens with the track “Glori” and sets the tone for the rest of the album with bright vocals harmonizing over thumping drums and catchy guitar riffs peppered over rollicking bass lines. The follow-up track “Untry Love” flows in a similar vein but with the addition of a synth playing an underlining melody that adds an extra layer of power to the pop fuel track. While many of the tracks on the album follow a similar formula, the third track on the album “Blank Ribbons” stands out from the rest. Stirratt plays a demanding bass line while Narducy sings with a more falsetto tone over a compressed drum beat. Another track that does a great job of deviating from the power pop formula is “Silences Mercy”, which feels like it would be at home on a Toad the Wet Sprocket album. The first few seconds of the song are nothing more than tribal sounding drums before Narducy joins in with a reverb filled vocals and slow guitar riffs. “Evaline Make Believe” comes across as a tribute to the pop rock of the 90s with its loud acoustic guitar strums and crisp vocal harmonies.
Overall, Metal Frames is a catchy album full of power pop ballads and tracks that any fan of 90s college radio will immediately fall in love with. Though there isn’t too much diversity in the song formula from track to track, the tracks that stand out really grab your attention and make you listen. “Blank Ribbons” is definitely one of the most stand-out tracks on the album and would be a great direction for Split Single’s next album.
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Photo: James Richards IV
