The theory behind split EPs is all well and good – two acts with potential crossover appeal to their respective fans appearing on the same release in order to milk that Venn diagram for all it’s worth – but too often they can serve to highlight the differences between the two apparently similar acts rather than to complement each other in the way the artists intended. It’s pleasing to report, then, that Sam Russo and Brendan Kelly’s Split the Tip EP works surprisingly well.
The EP kicks off (gently) with Small Town Shoes, a beautiful track which showcases Russo’s distinctive voice and undeniable talent for creating a memorable melody. The overall tone isn’t dissimilar to that being produced by the bizarre invasion of faux-folk (fauxlk?) artists which Radio programmers and advertisers alike have been conspiring to force down our throats ever since Mumford & Sons wrote that one catchy song and then ruined music for everyone, forever; the key difference here is that the songs are heartfelt, rather than cynical attempts to tug at the heartstrings.
Crayfish Tales has a pun for a title so I was already well onboard even before its juxtaposition of upbeat, jaunty acoustic pop with melancholic lyrics took hold. The moment just over halfway through where Russo’s plaintive vocal is joined by a baritone harmony absolutely makes the song. Again, emotional without being cloying or overly sentimental, his contribution to this EP constitutes possibly two of the best songs you’ll hear this year.
As anyone who’s listened to The Lawrence Arms will know, Brendan Kelly’s voice is somewhat less soothing that Russo’s. Like a cross between Bob Dylan and Tom Waits drenched in cheap whiskey served on literal rocks, Kelly’s Frangelico Houston (not quite on a par with ‘Crayfish Tales’, pun-wise. 6/10 at best) and Pigs are stripped-back affairs compared to Russo’s more consisting just of a singular voice and acoustic guitar, fleshed out in Pigs’ case by what sounds like ambient background noise so subtle I had to stop the song at one point as I thought there was some commotion happening outside my window.
The only criticism I can really level at the EP is that Russo’s jauntier, more complete arrangements sit, if not exactly uncomfortably then somewhat incongruously next to the stripped-back, almost busker-style offerings from Kelly. This serves to roughen the edges of any sense of continuity the EP might otherwise have had. Put more simply, it plays like what it is: two songs by one dude and two songs by another.
At just four tracks the EP doesn’t have a chance to outstay its welcome and it’s a fine release for fans of either artist, but one which will be particularly enjoyed by anyone with a penchant for sincere, folky pop. If the titular tip were being split, though, I’d give the lion’s share to Sam Russo.