Split Personalities
What's a group of small town high school misfits to do when the popular shoe won't fit? Go the rock & roll route, of course! 12 Rods' full-length debut,Split Personalities, is a swizzle stick of XTC-like pop, stirring up '90s production values in a glass of geek. Guitarist Ryan Olcott, his keyboardist brother Ev, and drummer best friend Christopher McGuire surf over self-depreciation with synchronized sighing, turning life's lemons into thick but witty anthems like "Red," "Make-Out Music," and "Split Personality." The Minneapolis-based trio also knows how to offer up atypical love songs like "I Wish You Were a Girl"; instead of turning into a novelty song, it sounds both uncomfortable and sincere. Mixed by the band, Paul Q. Kolderie (Morphine), and Sean Slade (the Cure),Split Personalitiesstacks tender next to abrasive, proving that the smarts don't win without the heart.--Jason Josephes