Search - Splashdown :: Redshift

This is a hidden gem

K. Leas | 11/21/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"There were only a few markets who ever got to know the true joy of Splashdown, and I was lucky that Rochester was one of them. Kaplan's voice is absolutely amazing, and the musicianship is among the best of any disc I have ever listened to. The creativity is stellar as well, and the songs almost create their own genre that blends techno, world, funk, and dark ambient moods from song to song. At one point, this disc was fetching $30 and up - for a five song disc - and it's worth it!!"

I'm guessing targets, take aim and show me what you know

A. Novy | Stillwater, OK, USA, Earth | 12/08/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Splashdown was Melissa Kaplan, Kasson Crooker and Adam Buhler. While some bands have only one or two creative forces within, Splashdown was different in that all three members contributed to the music. With Melissa's lyrics and piano, Adam's incredible guitar work, and Kasson's intricate beats and synths, Splashdown wrote complicated, intelligent, and beautiful music in their short 5-year run.



It is truly difficult to describe the sound of Splashdown in words, as each song has its own character, and the music has such soul that words on a website don't do it justice. Some songs are more Middle Eastern-inspired, some are alternative rock tracks with a touch of trip hop, some are trip hop with a touch of guitar. Others yet are mellow, quiet, longing, mainly-piano pieces ("Dig" and "Over the Wall") with that signature Splashdown edge. "So Ha" is also piano-driven, but is neither quiet nor mellow--it's very sassy, assertive, and, dare I say, uppity! It was the song I used to belt out on the chair lift going up the mountain while on my snowboarding trips. "As long as I'm kept from laying hands on a weapon/Then maybe you'll be okeeyayeeyay/So ha!" Yeah!



A song-by-song rundown of Redshift (to the best of this reviewer's ability):



1. "A Charming Spell" Starting off with some electric violin-sounding chords and a trip hop drum machine line, Adam's raging guitars soon join in. Melissa is not to be left out of this party, however, as her haunting lyrics are layered over the top of it all. As the song segways into the chorus, your only urge is to turn it up, way up. Driving electric guitars and an urgent beat, with Melissa's voice and ethereal lyrics make "A Charming Spell" a true work of art. And this is only the first song!



2. "The Archer" My personal favorite on this EP, it begins with a joyful yet mysterious series of long synth notes, with a trip hop beat following soon after. Melissa launches in with a gentle, tentative voice, "Time kicked me off of her island/Motion's been keeping me streamlined/Which direction will you point your arrow?/Mercy is bad for the vision, ruthless will clear it away." Adam's electric guitar is also gentle-sounding, but as the chorus kicks in, the groovy drum beat continues and vocal harmony is added underneath the main chorus lyrics. Melissa's voice soars, and the listener can feel the need reaching through. Halfway through, a powerful sitar groove is introduced; if this doesn't get you moving, you haven't got a lick of music appreciation in you. "The Archer" concludes with a sample from an earlier Splashdown song, "Pandora."



3. "Mayan Pilot" A much more organic song, Adam switches to an acoustic guitar and Kasson opts for a less synth-sounding drum beat. Melissa seems to have real fun with this one, as her voice is absolutely incredible. She has no trouble with the high notes or the low; they are all rich and full. A trumpet joins in on the fun, but only for one poignant high note, for emphasis. More of Melissa's signature vocal harmony can be heard underneath the chorus for the last repeat. This song will also have you bobbing your head to the beat. Hell, you'll probably get up and groove.



4. "Waterbead" A far off, quiet intro greets you on this true trip hop gem. Synths and a drum machine line join up, and a mellow guitar counter-melody can be heard under the verses. The middle part of the song gets more aggressive, with a driving guitar jam over the top of Kasson's double-time drum break. Just when you start to get comfortable with the change, "Waterbead" suddenly grows quiet again, with Melissa's vocals becoming the centerpiece. This plays through for a few bars, but back come Kasson's drum beats. There is a trade-off of these two styles for the rest of the song. It works quite well, and is a mesmerizing listen.



5. "Ironspy" Want a voice-over-guitar-feedback intro? You got it! I would file this song more under the "alternative" heading, because though Kasson's signature percussion (I think he uses a live snare drum in addition to the drum machine on this track) is present, Adam really tears it up on his guitar. Not to be outdone, Melissa channels all of her Rock Goddess power and owns the upper register of her vocal range. The listener can relate to the lyrics as well; one gets the feeling Melissa was once in a relationship gone very wrong: "Someone/Stop my hands from shaking/Iron in my spine's conducting lightning/Raging anger/Yeah, you've never been truly mine/But if you were, yes, if you were, I wouldn't want you anyway." Ouch!



It's a shame Amazon does not have samples of these tracks uploaded to its servers, but as a previous reviewer said, you can find these songs on the net if you look. Someone within the past six months wrote major additions to Splashdown's Wikipedia article, check it out."

Simply Outstanding

Troy Pickard | Portland, Or | 01/21/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This CD holds a quintet of amazing tracks by a trio of amazing musicians. Perhaps even more amazingly, the songs are so varied that you may be surprised they came from the same group. Splashdown is a real treat!"