The Breeders

The Breeders – Last Splash (30th Anniversary Edition) (2023)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/96 kHz | Time – 44:57 minutes | 977 MB | Genre: Art Rock
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © 4AD

The Breeders of Pod and the Breeders of Last Splash seemed like two very different bands, as the astringent indie rock of the band’s debut seemed to take a back seat to the highly melodic riff-dealing of their commercial breakthrough. The departure of Slint drummer Britt Walford and Throwing Muses guitarist Tanya Donnelly was certainly a factor, as Jim MacPherson’s straightforward drumming has a whole lot to do with the propulsive power of Last Splash. However, Kim Deal’s decision to recruit her twin sister Kelley for guitar and vocals is also a big factor. While the Deal sisters’ vocal harmonies are justifiably praiseworthy for giving Last Splash some of its most memorable moments (the entirety of “Cannonball,” for instance), the quirky muscularity of their deceptively intricate guitar work is the album’s secret weapon. The weird combination of multi-tracked and doubled guitar lines (some on acoustic guitars, some on electric guitars, some on distorted acoustic guitars) sounds like effortlessly chunky garage rock, but a close listen to the component parts of a cut like the Blondie-nod of “Flipside” is likely to cause dizziness. This studio intensity is prevalent throughout much of Last Splash, giving it a unique patina that feels as rough and loose as it does meticulously crafted.

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The Breeders – All Nerve (2018)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/96 kHz | Time – 33:54 minutes | 751 MB | Genre: Alternative Rock
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © 4AD

Internal feuds and heroin in the crook of the arm of her twin didn’t rattle the more relaxed female rocker: Kim Deal. Nirvana with boobs and with ballsy grunge, the Breeders kindled the indie rock scene by reminding people that even if there wasn’t anyone to welcome them, there was a feminine scene. Imploding in 1993 after the aptly named Last Splash, the quartet saw Kim go back to the Pixies when Kelley went into rehab. Two other albums, Title TK in 2002 and Mountain Battles in 2008, reminded us that the beast could still move… Since a concert in 2013 brought back the hope of a reunion, the two sisters, the bass player Josephine Wiggs and the drummer Jim MacPherson went back to the studio for All Nerve. Grunge entanglement resuscitating from the rough nineties, this lightning opus (33 minutes) blasts a tried and tested formula. If the dirty guitar-bass-drums and vocal distortions recipe doesn’t cause theCannonball effect that made their success, All Nerve carries the mark of the painful decades that followed. As proof, the distorted ballads Space Woman, Dawn: Making An Effort, Blues At The Acropolis. It is dark and nervous.

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The Breeders – Last Splash (30th Anniversary Edition) (2023)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/96 kHz | Time – 00:44:57 minutes | 1005 MB | Genre: Alternative
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Digital Booklet, Front Cover

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