The Splendors describe their brand of music as “Alternative Americana Dutch Pop,” which is another way of saying that the basketful of influences that make up the band’s sound give their music a distinct — and international — flavor. For the record, the Grammys have yet to recognize significant musical achievement in Alternative Americana Dutch Pop, but that doesn’t bother Splendors lead singer and founding member Jairo van Lunteren.
“All bands that try to be cool brand themselves as such, so we just go with the flow. Seriously, there’s a spoonful of classic rock in our songs, but there’s also a hint of true punk and, especially on this record, a touch of country. When I put our albums next to anyone else’s and listen to both of them at the same time I can always hear exactly what’s us and what’s the other. We don’t aim to resemble any other act or fit in a particular genre. That’s what makes us an alternative band.”
Van Lunteren and the rest of his bandmates will bring their unique brand of alternative pop to the Lost Dog Café on Friday as part of a push to promote the release of their sophomore album, Melt.
Melt represents a more mature effort than the band’s self-titled 2005 album, which Van Lunteren describes affectionately as “just plain raw, belted out like a burp of relief.” With Melt, the Splendors have been able to give more shape to some of the coarse energy that fuels that first album.
“Melt is more accessible,” says Van Lunteren, “which is not a good thing or a bad thing but an indication of our maturing process as musicians and songwriters … Most people seem to be thinking that ‘Melt‘ is a better album and I agree that, yes, we show growth and we’ve found our balance on it.”
The album is both raw and refined, full of fun, guitar-driven tunes that brim with a rueful grace. Van Lunteren, who was born in the Netherlands, provides the album’s lyrics, and he writes — as he sings — with the perspective that can only come from being a stranger in a strange land. He always maintains a satisfying ironic distance from his subject matter, and this distance keeps his pop songs from being trite or syrupy while infusing the rest of the music with a subtle wit.
You can almost hear the sardonic curl of his lip as he sings of his adopted homeland in one of the album’s strongest tracks, “Here I Am”: “Here I am in the U.S.A. I listen to the news today. If my stocks are doing well, the government can go to hell. Here I am in the U.S.A. We live life the simple way.”
The Dutch frontman is both funny and unnecessarily modest when discussing his style, both as a songwriter and performer: “Our lyrics are in crooked American English, which is typical for songs written by a Dutchlander with global intentions. In spite of my desperate attempts to have a Southern accent, I have frequently been told that I sound like a Frenchman whispering words of wisdom while making love to a Russian woman.”
Van Lunteren started the Splendors in 2003 as the Whole Things. Back then, the band included bassist J.T. Puryear (now of the TalkToMes), drummer Felix Teitelbaum, and Sid Green on guitar. At the beginning, Van Lunteren just wanted a few musicians to support him during live performances, but his bandmates had different ideas.
“The initial idea was to have a band that could back me up during shows,” says Van Lunteren, “but I quickly discovered that some of these guys, most notably Sid, had plans to turn this thing into a cool rock ‘n roll outfit. And so it happened … Playing this kind of music is slightly out of my comfort zone, which is the kind of challenge I have always been looking for. Succeeding at doing this, and still getting better at it all the time, has significantly increased my self-confidence as a performer.”
Much has changed since then, and the inevitable turnover that leeches at new bands has left Van Lunteren as the sole remaining original member of the Splendors. Friday night, he will take the stage with Jim Turner on bass and Gregg Lightfoot on drums. But though the Splendors’ faces change, the sound stays the same, and Van Lunteren remains pleased with the musical output
“We practiced once since this line-up change and I was very happy with the result. Throughout the years I have learned that musicians come and go and that the key ingredient to success is to take it in, learn from it, and keep doing what you love to do.”