Rating: No

When they aren't attacking the so-called mainstream with pseudo-punk Green Day deliveries, Splitsville enters the pure pop world of Matthew Sweet, For Squirrels, even, sadly, The Rembrandts and Styx. The Baltimore trio's third album sounds a bit shallow overall, especially when they lift entire musical lines from other, better sources ("Downsizing" cops a nod to Radiohead's last album, while "Liquor and Beer" smells of Murmur-era R.E.M.). Too often, the mix sounds fluffy and amateurish, like a local cover band's self-released nightmare that doesn't seem to fall far enough from the tree, leaving you wondering what else is in the lead singer's record collection

-- Tim McMahan

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Copyright © 1998 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.