920 The Breeders - Pod (1990)

 920 The Breeders - Pod (1990)

Studio Album - Alternative Rock




About the Act:

The Breeders were formed as a side project by Kim Deal of the Pixies, and Tanya Donnelly of Throwing Muses, in 1989. It was designed as a vehicle for Kim Deal's songwriting and singing, a she was frustrated at not having enough presence in the Pixies. They have been active since then with some breaks. They currently are Kim and her twin sister Kelly, Josephine Wiggs and Jim Macpherson. They are based in Dayton, Ohio and can be seen as part of a wider music scene. They have released 5 studio albums so far.


About the Album:

This is the first album by the band, who at this stage were Kim Deal, Tanya Donelly, Britt Walford and Josephine Wiggs.


My History with this Album:

None


Review:

The music is very simple, and the arrangements are really stripped back, mostly to drums, bass, over-driver guitar and singing. It's all very deliberately raw and alternating between raucous and empty. It's like waves of an angry sea crashing in a storm. For some this will be a refreshing emotive energy, for others it will be unsophisticated noise. I feel like for me it is somehow both at the same time. I would definitely describe it as a triumph of atmosphere over musicianship.

The lyrics are dark. I got that even before I went digging for information. Dead girls, abuse victims, unusual sexual relations, a fetus that survives an abortion.... dark stuff indeed. Oh, and there is a cover of a Beatles song in there too (Happiness is a Warm Gun). 

If "edgy" is your cup of tea you might love this, certainly many people have, including Kurt Cobain. I can see where it is coming from, and if I had met this at an earlier, less mellow, time of life, I might have loved it too. It's effective, but I'm not, personally, a hug fan.


6.3/10



Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/1KSkxHaYfTuyuUTtkpYHvQ

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLfimnwaZdumjDBk4UWA-JVIsH03qr9Z01

Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pod_(The_Breeders_album)


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

840 Various Artists - The Best of Girl Groups Volumes 1 and 2 (1990)

Image
 840 Various Artists - The Best of Girl Groups Volumes 1 and 2 (1990) Compilation (double) - Girl Group (Soul/Bobby Soxer/Do-Wop) About the Album: This is a highly acclaimed compilation in 2CDs by Rhino Records. It's the sort of thing that in this country you might expect to see at 3.99 in a Garden Centre. My History with this Album: None Review: There are not many multi-artist compilations in this series for reviewing. There is not information about it on Wikipedia, but the reception seems to have been positive. It is choc-full of hits with a smattering of lesser-known songs, and it's hard not to imagine Grease or similar situations - girls with cardigans and white socks, listening to the juke box while sipping milkshakes in the drug store. On one level it's a fun collection of songs that you could use to feel nostalgic, or as the music for a themed party. On another level it's kind of like a cultural artefact. I feel honour-bound to describe it, even though if I drop
Read more

944 Manu Chao - Próxima Estación Esperanza (2001)

Image
 944 Manu Chao - Próxima Estación Esperanza (2001) Studio Album - World Music About the Act: Manu Chao is a French-Spanish musician of Spanish descent who grew up on the outskirts of Paris. In the mid-80s he was in a Spanish/English rockabilly group called Hot Pants. In 1987, with his brother and cousin he founded the band Mano Negra, combining punk and world music influences and playing on the Paris Metro. This band took off and had 4 studio albums. In 1995 Manu "went solo", forming the band Radio Bemba Sound System to be his backing band. The punk elements were less prominent, but he started to make music that "replicates the sound of street music and bar scenes from a variety of cultures". He has been really popular in parts of Europe.  About the Album: This album was Manu Chao's second studio album as a "solo" artist. In Spanish, the name means "Next Station: Hope", after a real station on the Madrid Metro. The album reached top 10 slots
Read more

591 Harry Smith, Ed. - Anthology of American Folk Music (1952)

Image
 591 Harry Smith, Ed. - Anthology of American Folk Music (1952) Compilation Album - Americana About the Act: Harry Smith is not the performer here, he is the collector. He was a film-maker, occultist, and eccentric. About the Album: Harry Smith had a collection of early 78rpm records of various "folk" styles dated from 1927 when such things first started to be commercially available to 1932 when the Great Depression put a stop to the sales of folk records. In 1947 he approached a label, Folkway Records, about releasing a collection of them transferred onto LPs. This they did in 1952, without seeking copyright permission, making this technically a bootleg. It was released as three double-LP boxed sets, and sold very poorly. In the first year it sold 50 copies, 47 to libraries and colleges. It was reissued later, and gained traction and sold better. It now has a reputation for being one of the most influential compilations in the history of Americana, and is cited as being a ma
Read more