FEATURE:
Vinyl Corner
The Breeders - Last Splash
___________
THERE are albums that you identify…
with a particular song. It might be the case that it is the best on the album or the biggest hit. When it comes to The Breeders’ Last Splash, Cannonball would be that song. One of the best tracks of the 1990s, it is the centrepiece of the album. There are many other brilliant songs to be found on the album. New Year, Saints, and Divine Hammer are all amazing tracks. The whole album is a phenomenal listen. It is no wonder it is ranked alongside the best of the decade. Released on 31st August, 1993, the band was, at first, a side-project for bassist Kim Deal (Pixies). By the time of the second album, the band soon became her main focus. The 1990 debut, Pod, is a classic. I feel Last Splash is an even better album. I would recommend people buy Last Splash on vinyl. This is what Rough Trade say about it:
“For her second full-length Breeders album, Kim Deal jettisoned Tanya Donelly, brought in her sister kelley as lead guitarist (despite the fact that she could barely play when she joined), and came up with a disc full of fun, toothsome rock, not least of which was the mammoth summer-of-'93 hit Cannonball, a celebration of mosh-pit bounce and purred innuendo. Deal's voice is coy, but the band's full of dreamy energy, rocking like her old band the Pixies without their abrasion, tomboyish rather than macho. Officially 4ad's top selling album”.
Before I round things off, it is worth bringing in a couple of reviews of the second album from the Ohio band (their fifth studio album, All Nerve, was released in 2018). In their review of Last Splash, this is what AllMusic had to say:
“Thanks to good timing and some great singles, the Breeders' second album, Last Splash, turned them into the alternative rock stars that Kim Deal's former band, the Pixies, always seemed on the verge of becoming. Joined by Deal's twin sister Kelley -- with whom Kim started the band while they were still in their teens -- the group expanded on the driving, polished sound of the Safari EP, surrounding its (plentiful) moments of brilliance with nearly as many unfinished ideas. When Last Splash is good, it's great: "Cannonball"'s instantly catchy collage of bouncy bass, rhythmic stops and starts, and singsong vocals became one of the definitive alt-pop singles of the '90s. Likewise, the sweetly sexy "Divine Hammer" and swaggering "Saints" are among the Breeders' finest moments, and deserved all of the airplay they received. Similarly, the charming twang of "Drivin' on 9," "I Just Wanna Get Along"'s spiky punk-pop, and the bittersweet "Invisible Man" added depth that recalled the eclectic turns the band took on Pod while maintaining the slick allure of Last Splash's hits. However, underdeveloped snippets such as "Roi" and "No Aloha" drag down the album's momentum, and when the band tries to stretch its range on the rambling, cryptic "Mad Lucas" and "Hag," it tends to fall flat. The addition of playful but slight instrumentals such as "S.O.S" and "Flipside" and a version of "Do You Love Me Now?" that doesn't quite match the original's appeal reflect Last Splash's overall unevenness. Still, its best moments -- and the Deal sisters' megawatt charm -- end up outweighing its inconsistencies to make it one of the alternative rock era's defining albums”.
The second review is from SPIN. When they sat down and provided some words about the incredible Last Splash, this is what they offered:
“All is not resentment and cruel satire, of course: In their harmonizing heart of hearts, the Breeders would like you boys to like them. Live, these sisters (plus bassist Josephine Wiggs and drummer Jim MacPherson) are almost painfully unpretentious; Kim’s plain voice has my vote for the sound most likely to emit from the girl next door. They’re friendly hosts — they just don’t want to have to mutilate themselves to get you to stay. They’re willing to work, but they’re not sure you’re worth it. They’re the summer that’s “ready when you are.”
For the most part, though, Last Splash is caught up in what it means to be the subject — the voice of rock’n’roll — and what it means to be female. Like PJ Harvey’s Rid of Me, Last Splash claims the spotlight—the sun —and has no trouble commanding the stage. Confidence propels the turbodelic “New Year,” while “Hag” sweetly and resolutely affirms the pleasure of performing —even amid snarling censure (that’s the “Hag” part). Finally, the Breeders subvert their playfully slight, stylized “Do You Love Me Now” (all passive melancholy) with a warm wind of demanding aggro on the bridge. Explicit desire is one rock tool the Breeders are psyched about utilizing.
But the ingratiatingly tuneful Last Splash is also marked by deliberate incoherence. Kim’s vocals are often drowned by guitars — or distorted into garbled ravings. Songs stutter and stop, only to rise again with startling fervor. The band has included two instrumentals (one called “SOS”); another track, “Roi,” is pretty much indecipherable — a pastiche of smeared distortion, muted vocal musings, hills and valleys of volume, and a repeated hard rock signature. It’s haunting, but I have no idea what it means. What it feels like, though, is that the sisters Deal are lined up with Polly Harvey, questioning whether the rock’n’roll that’s made an outsider of their gender can be trusted to get across both their love and their dissatisfaction. The Breeders want to tear down as much as they want to move in — which leaves them sifting through the tenets of rock for those they can use, and sometimes finding themselves without a known vehicle for the stories they want to tell. Or, as Kim herself puts it lightly on “Driving on 9″: “Looking out my windowsill / Wondering if I want you still / Wondering what’s mine.” For the everygirl Breeders, the promise of summer is still up in the air”.
I will leave things there. I have been a fan of The Breeders since the 1990s. I am glad they are still going strong. One can debate which of their albums is the best. I think that honour goes to Last Splash. It is an incredible album that boasts many wonderful cuts. Go and grab it on vinyl if you can. It is a record that stands up to repeated listens and offers…
MANY treasures.