The National Splits - Fontana (Mr. Whiggs, 2003)

The National Splits
Fontana
Mr. Whiggs
2003

Rating: 7 managers of badgers out of 10
 
This National Splits release is the sort of record that makes you happy to have wasted your time reviewing all those other albums that were awful. Every once in a while, you get that one CD of a band you’ve never heard of and it blows you away. This CD, The National Splits second release ‘Fontana’, was precisely that record for me. The National Splits is the solo effort of one Mike Downey from Wolfie fame, a pop group that released a few records on Parasol and Kindercore a few years ago. The best way I can describe The National Splits? It sounds like someone put glam rock (think David Bowie, T Rex, and even more recently Destroyer) in a blender with Guided By Voices and produced a damn tasty beverage for the listening public to consume. OK, that’s a really stupid analogy but you catch my drift. This is lo-fi recording how it’s meant to be heard, in short poppy bursts from a man who obviously sounds like he’s having a blast playing it. And consequently, it’s tough not smiling when you listen to it.