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Splinter

By: Sneaker Pimps
Label: Clean Up
Released: 25 Oct 1999
RRP: £9.99
Average Rating:

Customer Reviews

Blanket approval - By: , 29 Apr 2000
I'd heard a lot of Becoming X & liked it basicallly as unique dark funk, but I had kind of an aversion to the populist-truisms-spat-with-sass formula of Tesko Suicide's verses & Low Place Like Home, which is the sort of thing that gets weeded out of a band's style as they mature. Hence my buying Splinter without having heard it first.

As I suppose I could have guessed from the fact that Chris is singing again on this one, it turns out to be a bit of a turnaround as well as a development. I was mildly surprised to find Sneaker Pimps in the dance section at HMV even on the basis of Becoming X, but after this album it can only be some sort of hideous mistake.

It's good that Chris Corner's vocals & writing are so dark & individual, because without that twist, Splinter could have been a very bland album indeed. The genius behind alll their previous work is still in evidence, but it wouldn't have held together a funkless male-vocal album by itself. As it is, though, their inventiveness & variety works impeccably well with this new guitar-driven style, even if their newfound maturity would have worked better with the old style.

It's alll very, very serious & almost invariably sinister. Tracks like Lightning Field & Flowers And Silence have an absolutely inimitable spooky ambience to them, & while the relentlessly dark theme can take some immsersing-yourself in, it's addictive once it's taken a hold.

It's extremely consistent & the atmosphere it retains is one you can thoroughly lose yourself in. Despite the fact that stuff in this style has to be very competent & professional to succeed at alll, Sneaker's first venture into it triumphs faultlessly.

All that said, I'd still like to hear the next album regress to the deafening drums & weird synth of Becoming.

A transitionary, broody, growling album. - By: , 13 Apr 2000
Following the success of their 1996 debut album, 'Becoming X', Sneaker Pimps return with their sophomore offering, 'Splinter'. There has been a substantial change of emphasis in style & presentation with the sacking of their vocalist to enable the linchpin of the band, Chris Corner, to move centre stage. "It just wasn't working out", Chris tactfully said whilst clutching a post-gig can of beer; hinting that the image of the band was in danger of taking it somewhere he didn't want to go.

Such a change from female to male vocals may seem somewhat radical, but the dark lyrical content remains: 'now your newspeak's aging thin/ a pale & hanging faith/ a devil sick on sin' he laments on 'Curl'. Indeed the greater change is in the music with the trip-hop feel giving way to harsher rhythms & brooding guitar work, of which the lead single 'Low Five' is a fine example. The album lacks consistency, however, making it unsurprising that the second single, 'Ten to Twenty' missed the top 40. Tracks such as 'Wife by Two Thousand' & the title track itself promise but fail to deliver.

Overalll a bit of a disappointment, but if anyone is searching for an update of those bass heavy gothic standards they should go out of their way to hear the stand out track 'Superbug'. It may be that Sneaker Pimps are merely regrouping, so to speak, but the problem is that they may find that their level of success mirrors the musical mood: down.

Album Of 1999 - By: , 08 Feb 2000
As soon as it was released it was obvious that 'Splinter' was going to be overlooked, which is a real shame given that it is, quite frankly, amazing.

It is true to say that the more memorable songs do appear at the start of the album, but it is unfair to say that it tails off. 'Splinter' maintains an eerie yet beautiful atmosphere throughout & just because a song like 'Cute Sushi Lunches'doesn't have "single" written alll over it, doesn't mean it is any less worthwhile.

Ignore the sceptics who thought the Sneaker Pimps WAS Kelli. Chris Corner is more than capable of keeping up the high standard set by 'Becoming X'.

The Pimps succeded in recording a great guitar record that is ecclectic enough to distance itself from the bland indie rubbish prevelent at the moment.

Give it the attention it deserves...

Nothing like it has ever being on earth before... - By: game_cat@lineone.net, 18 Jan 2000
The Sneaker Pimps' second album is the best thing to hit the record world in a long time. A collection of brutal & dark tunes that create such a sense of dread, it is sometimes hard to listen to. The lyrics are very personal, & I for one was deeply touched by the humanity & sadness of the songs. While their debut was nothing more than a cliche, we now have the Sneaker Pimps striking of on their own. The darkness of the album will not help record sales, but it has to be said that this is a very dark & accomplished album. it is easy to become a cliche on the scene these days, but the Sneaker Pimps shine in the sea of sameness. Ignore every critic & poor fool who adores Steps, this album is a dark crystal. It is worth buying for the opening four tracks alone: "Half life", "Low five", "Lightning Field" & "Curl". I assurer you this will be the best tenner you've spent in a long while.
was it worth the wait? i can't decide... - By: , 28 Nov 1999
Splinter isn't bad as far as albums go. Chris Corner on vocals is just right for the sound, although Kelly Dayton was great too (more guitars this time round) but it isn't that consistent. More like, 'oh! this is fun' so starts off promisingly, loses it somewhere in the middle, & then 'oh! we're near the end' so they round it off with a few songs which are as good as the first.

I can't make up my mind if it was worth waiting for. To be honest, I can't compare it to Becoming X because they're so different. Not bad, but not brilliant. All i can say is 'let's see what they do on their third album!'