The Split Squad - Another Cinderella

​The Split Squad

Another Cinderella, Hey DJ, Bigger Than Heroin
self-released; 2021

​​​By ​Dino DiMuro

The Split Squad is a Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, all-star band founded in 2011. Their debut album, "Now Hear This," was released in 2013, and they've just released another full-length album titled "Another Cinderella." And when I say "All Star," it's not hyperbole!

Lead guitarist Eddie Munoz comes from the legendary '80s L.A. band The Plimsouls. Guitarist Keith Streng made his bones with the famous Fleshtones. Drummer Clem Burke is a founding member of Blondie and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame drummer, much in demand these days as an A-list session percussionist. Bassist and keyboard player Michael Giblin was a member of the '90s power pop band Cherry Twister and currently produces and engineers projects by The Fleshtones, The Cynz, and Stupidity. Keyboardist Josh Kantor actually plays organ for the Red Sox and has jammed alongside Peter Buck and Mike Mills (R.E.M.) and John Paul Jones (Led Zeppelin).

The album also features a stellar cast of guest players, including Jason Victor (The Dream Syndicate), Brian Hurd (Daddy Long Legs), David Minehan (The Neighborhoods/Aerosmith/The Replacements), Scott McCaughey (R.E.M./The Baseball Project/The Young Fresh Fellows), Joe Adragna (The Junior League), and violinist Deni Bonet. As befits a band with so many diverse and experienced members, they go all over the place musically within these 12 songs. Here are some of my favorites.

The band calls "Hey DJ" a song with "relentless power-pop beats." While not sounding exactly like him, this track has a lot of Elvis Costello's retro energy. And no lie: as soon as I wrote that down, they name-checked "Radio Radio" in the lyrics! Joe Jackson is another touchstone, but they also sound like those late '60s acts with chiming guitars and Farfisa organ. If I woke up hearing this on my clock radio in 1968, I wouldn't be surprised. Quickly following is the title track "Another Cinderella," which is cut from the same cloth, with an even higher jangle quotient. "Cinderella" here refers to the fairy tale character, though the album cover evokes "Cinderella Man" boxer Jim Braddock.

"Palpitation Blues" takes a detour into "deep-fried blues," with squonky harmonica and gritty, balls-out vocals from the Jim Dandy-David Lee Roth school. Not to ignore another famous '60s genre, "Taxi Cab" is a phasing psychedelic excursion where the harmonies and even the lyrics perfectly recall that tripping time, very much like The Dukes of Stratosphere. There's also a blues streak running through the tremolo and slide-drenched guitars in "Invisible Lightning," which the group calls "a romper-stomper." I call it catchy as hell!

With both its title and music, I was certain "Trying to Get Back to My Baby" was a '60s cover tune (it's not). Again the vocals, guitars, and organ perfectly evoke a bygone era of high-energy hits. I daresay there's a bit of early Who yearning to break free. "Sinking Ship" is another power popper heavy on earworm riffs and a structure that recalls Elvis Costello ("Lip Service") and R.E.M. simultaneously.

"Bigger Than Heroin" has a killer bumblebee bass heralding a riff similar to the Animals' "We Gotta Get Out Of This Place." It's got a classic combination of jangly high-end and growling lows, plus stellar pop harmonies (natch). The concluding track is a reprise of "Hey DJ" but with an army of soulful horns. Nice to come full circle!

​Supergroups are super for a reason, and there's little surprise that the songs they make together are so good. But these guys are even better than that, especially if you grew up on these sounds or love them like I do. Recommended!

thesplitsquad.com