It's amazing how far Lush came between previous album Spooky and this. While the haunting swathes of sound still prevail, they gained the confidence to bring the lyrics to the fore. And so we discover gems like "Light From A Dead Star", a tearful rumination over a man who "lives his life in a world full of women". "Kiss Chase", meanwhile, has one of those perfect melodies that you instantly fall in love with. The real diamond at the heart of it, and one of Lush's finest moments, is "Hypocrite", with its unforgiving drums and the scathing attack on less than faithful partners. "Don't even try to hide behind that stupid smile", spits Miki, and you know it's no idle threat. Split is the sound of an intelligent band realising how good they really are. We should be grateful that they put it all on a record. --Emma Johnston