Splurge

Australian band Splurge often have a lot in common with British band Pulp in terms of their presentation and sound, especially with the highbrow, textured,and terribly pretty opener "When I Go to Sleep." Here singer Greg Williams sounds more like Neil Finn then he does Jarvis Cocker, but it's nonetheless an extremely polished piece of pop. From there, Splurge opts for a meaty, thicker rock sound à la Travis or the Charlatans during "Crystalline" with its subtle electronic traces. When the singer slows things down with the exquisite, radio-friendly "She's Not the One," artists like Richard Ashcroft and Echo & the Bunnymen instantly come to the fore. And the ensuing power pop of "I Don't Feel It" only heightens the album's quality. The consistency of the album is its biggest selling point as the crunchy "Too Much Is Not Enough" becomes the second greatest song with that title after the Tom Petty track. Unfortunately the first overt clunker is "Get Up and Watch TV" which Williams should have done instead of recording this pale, boring Smash Mouth-like number. The band pick themselves up again with a formulaic, safe but steady "Hey Children" which works on several levels. The title track is a bit peculiar with its folksy, singer/songwriter, Beatles-lite feel yet still manages to make its mark. ~ Jason MacNeil, All Music Guide