Lush Split

Though its recording was by all accounts miserable, Split brought out a new clarity and maturity in Lush. They no longer sounded like doe-eyed ingénues floating through the ether. “Blackout” and “Hypocrite” have real bite, while “Undertow” and “Light from a Dead Star” contain a subtle malevolence that counters the cotton candy pleasures of “Lovelife” and “Lit Up.” A slower, more troubled attitude serves this music well. Even when they turn to the gradual strobe-like rhythms of “Starlust” and “Never-Never,” the underlying feeling of trepidation only intensifies the blissful setting.