Sam Russo/ Brendan Kelly – Split the Tip

Music is always an intensely personal experience, which is why writing reviews can be a challenge. What may be your favorite new album will be reviled by countless other music fans on the internet. While there are those out there who almost deify The Lawrence Arms, they’ve never really interested me. Brendan Kelly has always just been that guy from TLA who isn’t in Sundowner to me. My first introduction to Sam Russo came as a part of a 4-way split between him and other artists including Chuck Ragan. That release was admittedly a less than lukewarm introduction to Russo’s work, so Split the Tip was approached with a bit of trepidation and plenty of procrastination. 

Once I finally hit play, Sam Russo’s sweet accent welcomed me with a quiet shuffling ballad, Small Town Shoes. It is a nice little folk song, with a noticeable English influence. For most readers, the words English folk will instantly bring to mind Frank Turner. But here Russo is much more restrained than than the barroom singalongs Turner is known for. He manages to slow things down even more on Crayfish Tales, an almost whispered track which builds into a rousing folk song in the vein of The Lumineers. Both tracks are wonderful, full of restrained melodies and Russo’s smooth voice. It is a wonderful introduction to an artist from overseas that many of us may not yet know and a reason to revisit his previous work for those who may have too easily dismissed him in the past.

Obviously fans of The Lawrence Arms will be familiar with Brendan Kelly. His solo recordings (with the Wandering Birds) never quite lived up to his other work. Here, he provides a foil to Russo’s sweet voice with his drunken drawl on Frangelico Houston, with the memorable lines if you know anyone who will fuck me based on solely who I am, I think I lost my soul down back behind the minivan and the hilariously awkward if you think this is what sick is, let me show you what a dick is. He picks things up with Pigs, a bouncing acoustic track that once again centers on his interesting lyrics, such as fucking pigs seem to be getting the best of me. The song was originally recorded by The Lawrence Arms, but was reworked for this crass acoustic version. Both tracks are worth a listen and are enjoyable, but their goofy lyrics detract from their impact. 

Split the Tip contains four songs that are worth a listen. Brendan Kelly’s name is what will likely attract potential listeners, but Sam Russo confidently steals the show (although listening to the tracks, it feels like if they were playing side by side, Kelly would upstage him with his more abrasive approach). Sam Russo is an exciting import and his contributions are worth the price of the split. Although, at the end, it feels like the smooth voiced Sundowner would have been a more apt partner on the split than Kelly.