Split Single is the American
indie rock
Indie rock is a Music subgenre, subgenre of rock music that originated in the United States, United Kingdom and New Zealand from the 1970s to the 1980s. Originally used to describe independent record labels, the term became associated with the mu ...
solo project of
Evanston, Illinois
Evanston ( ) is a city, suburb of Chicago. Located in Cook County, Illinois, United States, it is situated on the North Shore along Lake Michigan. Evanston is north of Downtown Chicago, bordered by Chicago to the south, Skokie to the west, Wil ...
-based musician
Jason Narducy
Jason V. Narducy is an American musician from Evanston, Illinois, United States.
After receiving his first guitar at the age of nine Narducy started his music career, playing guitar and writing songs for his punk rock band, Verboten. Verboten i ...
.
Narducy is a mainstay in the Chicago-area rock community, having played in bands like Verboten, Jason & Alison,
Verbow
Verbow was an American alternative rock band formed in Chicago and active between the mid-1990s and early 2000s. The band's sound was distinguished by emotionally direct songwriting and their unconventional use of cello.
History
Early period: Ja ...
, as well as being the touring bassist for
Bob Mould
Robert Arthur Mould (born October 16, 1960) is an American musician, principally known for his work as guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter for alternative rock bands Hüsker Dü in the 1980s and Sugar in the 1990s.
Early years
Born in Malone, ...
and
Superchunk
Superchunk is an American indie rock band from Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States, consisting of singer-guitarist Mac McCaughan, guitarist Jim Wilbur, bassist Laura Ballance, and drummer Jon Wurster. Formed in 1989, they were one of the ...
. Narducy started the project in 2011 and has released two albums: 2014's ''Fragmented World'' and 2016's ''Metal Frames'' as well as a concert EP, 2015's ''Live EP''.
Split Single's music aims for power-pop melodies, punchy arrangements and wry and affecting lyrics.
Spoon
A spoon is a utensil consisting of a shallow bowl (also known as a head), oval or round, at the end of a handle. A type of cutlery (sometimes called flatware in the United States), especially as part of a place setting, it is used primarily for ...
's
Britt Daniel
John Britt Daniel (born April 14, 1971) is an American musician. He is the co-founder, lead singer and guitarist of the rock band Spoon, as well as the co-founder, guitarist, bassist, and singer of the band Divine Fits. Daniel also founded numero ...
played bass and Superchunk drummer
Jon Wurster
Jonathan Patrick Wurster (born October 31, 1966) is an American drummer and comedy writer. As a musician, he is best known for his work with Superchunk, the Mountain Goats, and Bob Mould. He is also known for appearing on '' The Best Show'' with ...
are featured on Fragmented World. On sophomore effort Metal Frames, Wurster returned on drums while
Wilco
Wilco is an American alternative rock band based in Chicago, Illinois. The band was formed in 1994 by the remaining members of alternative country group Uncle Tupelo following singer Jay Farrar's departure. Wilco's lineup changed frequently dur ...
's
John Stirratt
John Chadwick Stirratt is an American bassist and multi-instrumentalist for Wilco and The Autumn Defense.
Early career
Stirratt grew up in Mandeville, Louisiana. He attended Mandeville High School and the University of Mississippi, and is a ...
was recruited to play bass.
Career
After not writing any original material for eight years, in 2012 Narducy formed Split Single as an outlet to write 10 new songs to debut opening for Steve Dawson's band
Dolly Varden at Schuba's. Three songs from that show, "Never Look Back," "Love Is You," and "My Eyes" would later end up on Split Single's debut, ''Fragmented World''. Later, while recording songs for Bob Mould's 2012 solo effort Silver Age, Narducy played bandmate Jon Wurster his demos and the drummer agreed to help properly record them. Spoon's Britt Daniel, who Narducy played with at a 2011 Bob Mould tribute concert, rounded out the recording personnel.
To promote ''Fragmented World'', Narducy created a fake documentary short video called "The Sexiest Elbows In Rock Music". Several comedians and musicians guested in the clip, including
Fred Armisen
Fereydun Robert Armisen (born December 4, 1966) is an American actor, comedian, writer, producer, and musician. With his comedy partner Carrie Brownstein, Armisen was the co-creator and co-star of the IFC sketch comedy series ''Portlandia''. He ...
,
Tim Meadows
Timothy Meadows (born February 5, 1961) is an American actor and comedian. He was one of the longest-running cast members on ''Saturday Night Live'', where he appeared for ten seasons and for which he received a nomination for the Primetime Emmy ...
, Jon Wurster, John Stirratt,
Margaret Cho
Margaret Moran Cho (born December 5, 1968) is an American comedian, actress, LGBT social activist, and musician. She is known for her stand-up routines, through which she critiques social and political problems, especially regarding race and se ...
, Britt Daniel,
Mac MacCaughan, Bob Mould, and
Dave Grohl
David Eric Grohl (born January 14, 1969) is an American musician. He is the founder of the rock band Foo Fighters, in which he is the lead singer, guitarist, and principal songwriter. Prior to forming Foo Fighters, he was the drummer of gru ...
. In 2016, Narducy teamed with
The Onion
''The Onion'' is an American digital media company and newspaper organization that publishes satirical articles on international, national, and local news. The company is based in Chicago but originated as a weekly print publication on August 2 ...
to make two more “Sexiest Elbows In Rock” episodes with guest appearances from
Jeff Tweedy
Jeffrey Scot Tweedy (born August 25, 1967) is an American musician, songwriter, author, and record producer best known as the singer and guitarist of the band Wilco. Tweedy, originally from Belleville, Illinois, started his music career in high s ...
,
Sharon Van Etten
Sharon Katharine Van Etten (born February 26, 1981) is an American singer-songwriter. She has released six studio albums, the latest of which is '' We've Been Going About This All Wrong'' (2022).
Early life
Van Etten was born in Belleville, N ...
,
Todd Barry
Todd or Todds may refer to:
Places
;Australia:
* Todd River, an ephemeral river
;United States:
* Todd Valley, California, also known as Todd, an unincorporated community
* Todd, Missouri, a ghost town
* Todd, North Carolina, an unincorporated ...
,
Michael Shannon
Michael Corbett Shannon (born August 7, 1974) is an American actor, producer, musician, and theater director. He is an off beat actor known for his on-screen versatility, performing in both comedies and dramas. He became known for his frequent ...
,
Frank Black
Charles Michael Kittridge Thompson IV (born April 6, 1965) is an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist. He is best known as the frontman of the alternative rock band Pixies, with whom he performs under the stage name Black Francis. Fo ...
and more.
Of the album, which was released in spring 2014,
''Spin'''s Ryan Leas had this to say, "Narducy’s latest material exhibits strands of all sorts crashing together: ’80s college rock, ’90s indie, and various brands of psychedelia mingle freely within the album’s efficient 32 minutes of power-pop." In a review at
The A.V. Club
''The A.V. Club'' is an American online newspaper and entertainment website featuring reviews, interviews, and other articles that examine films, music, television, books, games, and other elements of pop-culture media. ''The A.V. Club'' was cre ...
, which gave the album an A−,
Annie Zaleski
Annie Zaleski is an American music journalist and author.
Career
Zaleski is a regular writer for mainstream media outlets such as The A.V. Club and NPR Music, and a columnist at ''Salon''. She is based in Cleveland, Ohio where she has won firs ...
wrote, "Fragmented World’s lyrics are also no afterthought: While their themes are common—fresh heartbreak, letting go of past romance, despairing about unrequited love—songs often twist darker (“I laid in your yard last night / But you never looked back, never looked back”)."
''Metal Frames'', Split Single's 2017 album, was recorded at Chicago's Atlas Studios with engineer Matt Allison. The recording band featured the return of Wurster on drums, new recruit John Stirratt, of Wilco, on bass, and Narducy's longtime friend, recording artist and songwriter
Nora O'Connor
Nora O’Connor (born April 2, 1968) is an American, Chicago-based musician. Though primarily known for her vocals, O'Connor also plays guitar and bass. For much of 2013, O'Connor toured internationally as a singer in Iron and Wine. She also reco ...
. Critic
Greg Kot
Greg Kot (born March 3, 1957) is an American music journalist and author. From 1990 until 2020, Kot was the rock music critic at the ''Chicago Tribune'', where he covered popular music and reported on music-related social, political and busines ...
of the Chicago Tribune wrote of the second album, “...a first-rate songwriter and band leader.” Elsewhere,
Magnet Magazine's Matt Hickey wrote, giving the album an Essential New Music designation, "With ‘Metal Frames,’ Narducy not only avoids the sophomore slump, he enters MVP territory”
Split Single have toured with
Cymbals Eat Guitars
Cymbals Eat Guitars were an indie rock band from Staten Island, New York,[Divine Fits
Divine Fits was an American-Canadian indie rock band composed of Britt Daniel (Spoon), Dan Boeckner (Wolf Parade, Handsome Furs, Operators), Sam Brown, and Alex Fischel (Spoon). The group released their debut album, '' A Thing Called Divine Fit ...]
and have opened shows for
Guided by Voices,
Eddie Vedder
Eddie Jerome Vedder (born Edward Louis Severson III; December 23, 1964) is an American singer, musician, and songwriter best known as the lead vocalist and one of four guitarists of the rock band Pearl Jam. He also appeared as a guest vocalist i ...
,
Wilco
Wilco is an American alternative rock band based in Chicago, Illinois. The band was formed in 1994 by the remaining members of alternative country group Uncle Tupelo following singer Jay Farrar's departure. Wilco's lineup changed frequently dur ...
,
Bob Mould
Robert Arthur Mould (born October 16, 1960) is an American musician, principally known for his work as guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter for alternative rock bands Hüsker Dü in the 1980s and Sugar in the 1990s.
Early years
Born in Malone, ...
,
The Hold Steady
The Hold Steady is an American rock band originally from Minneapolis, Minnesota, now based in Brooklyn, New York, formed in 2003. The band consists of Craig Finn (vocals, guitar), Tad Kubler (guitar), Galen Polivka (bass), Bobby Drake (drums), ...
,
The New Pornographers
The New Pornographers are a Canadian indie rock band, formed in 1997 in Vancouver. Presented as a musical collective of singer-songwriters and musicians from multiple projects, the band has released eight studio albums to critical acclaim for th ...
, and
Superchunk
Superchunk is an American indie rock band from Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States, consisting of singer-guitarist Mac McCaughan, guitarist Jim Wilbur, bassist Laura Ballance, and drummer Jon Wurster. Formed in 1989, they were one of the ...
. On April 3, 2017, Split Single made its television debut on ''
Last Call with Carson Daly
''Last Call with Carson Daly'' is an American late-night television series that was broadcast by NBC from 2002 to 2019. Hosted by former MTV personality Carson Daly, the series was initially formatted as a late-night talk show in line with ''Th ...
''.
Split Single's new album ''Amplificado'' will be released June 25, 2021. It again features Wurster on drums and adds
Mike Mills
Michael Edward Mills (born December 17, 1958) is an American multi-instrumentalist, singer, and composer who was a founding member of the alternative rock band R.E.M. Though known primarily as the bass guitarist and backing vocalist of R.E.M., hi ...
of
R.E.M.
R.E.M. was an American rock band from Athens, Georgia, formed in 1980 by drummer Bill Berry, guitarist Peter Buck, bassist Mike Mills, and lead vocalist Michael Stipe, who were students at the University of Georgia. One of the first alternative ...
on bass and backing vocals.
Discography
Studio albums
* ''Fragmented World'' (2014)
* ''Metal Frames'' (2016)
* ''Amplificado'' (2021)
Live albums
* ''Live EP'' (2015)
External links
*
Split Single website
References
{{Authority control
Indie rock musical groups from Illinois
Musical groups established in 2011
2011 establishments in Illinois