Splitsville has too long gone unnoticed. Formed by Matt and Brandt Huseman after the demise of their criminally underrated and under-appreciated mid-90s band, The Greenberry Woods, Splitsville went on to release six albums from 1996 to 2003 that showcased the band’s loosely fun and expertly melodic song craft. This set of 25 tracks, hand-picked by the band, is the perfect starting point for neophytes. Opening with the frantic, minute-long energy burst of “Let’s Go” from the band’s sophomore release, Ultrasound, the album takes songs from each of Splitsville’s releases except for its first. Selections include the playful bounce of “Ponce de Leon” and the harder, power-pop edge of “The Kids Who Kill For Sugar” from the aforementioned Ultrasound, the pop-punk and slashing guitars of “Day Job” and the light touch of “Why Can’t It Be” from 1997’s Repeater, a whopping seven of the band’s Beach Boys tributes from The Complete Pet Soul, and more sophisticated gems such as “Headache” and “The Mentalist” from 2003’s Incorporated. Everything is ordered chronologically, but this is not a case for observing artistic progression, because Splitsville had it right from the start. The only qualm one might have with this set is that it ignores the sloppy, adolescent hijinks of the band’s debut and songs like “Atari 2600,” “Gremlin with Mags,” and “Come Back to the 5 and Dime, Larry Storch, Larry Storch.” Still, for a comprehensive overview, Let’s Go! does very well. The Husemans should be in their mid- to late-30s by now. They have seen and weathered the passing of grunge, the swing revival, nu metal, electroclash, boy bands, and numerous indie-rock fads and fashions over the past decade or so, and the quality of their output has more than equaled that of better-known contemporaries such as The Posies, Teenage Fanclub, Weezer, and the like. It is said that the boys have real jobs these days, probably settling very comfortably into adulthood. Let’s hope they still get together on weekends to jam, perhaps throw together a few songs here and there. Let the music live on.
--Frank Valish
