Generally speaking, when Todd Rundgren produces an album, you can count on one of two things: It's either going to be really good or at least relatively interesting. Granted, the bands may want to wring his neck immediately after the fact, but even they would likely admit upon further reflection that the album turned out well. (XTC's Skylarking, the Psychedelic Furs' Forever Now, and The Pursuit of Happiness' Love Junk all attest to Rundgren's sonic and musical skills).

So what's up with Halfway Down the Sky? The debut CD from NYC's Splender combines overwrought New Romantic-style vocals and songwriting with a thumping, bass-heavy sound to decidedly uninteresting results. In a sense, it's as if a British band from among the likes of Modern English or Spandau Ballet suddenly aimed to become a more caffeinated Third Eye Blind.

Chief culprit, no doubt, is lead singer (and sole songwriter) Waymon Boone, who seems to have learned from current-day rock radio that no lyric cannot be made better by bellowing it full-throttle. When the band adds some spice to its groove and the song contains a palpable melodic hook ("Wallflower"), Splender's music can actually be rather splendid. But when a chorus consists of Boone wailing away repeatedly, "I'm not afraid, I'm unafraid," or some such nonsense, as he does on "Cigarette," this disc quickly grows tiresome. The opening "I Don't Understand," with a verse that hints at a weightier version of Split Enz's "I Got You," might sneak its way onto the radio, and a few other tracks also might work, taken one small dose at a time, but "Space Boy," "Supernatural," and way too many more leave plenty to be desired.

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