- Released: 1990
- Origin: Dayton, Ohio, USA
- Label: 4AD
- Best Track: Glorious
Possibly the most surprising/embarrassing album I’m admitting to never having listened to before.
I heard ‘Cannonball’ by The Breeders the other day and had forgotten how good it is. That song comes from 1993’s Last Splash, which is an album I know and love, so I thought I’d go back one and check out their debut.
As I expected, it’s most enjoyable. The tracks with pace and drive leap out at you on first listen, such as the anthems ‘Hellbound’ and ‘Limehouse’.
I actually think the slower and more brooding songs are even better though. I can’t get enough of opener ‘Glorious’. I don’t know why, but Kim Deal’s “da da da da da da da… ahhhh!” is brilliant, preceding the sort of slow, simple bass line that Kim somehow made her own (although it should be noted that the bassist in The Breeders is not her but Josephine Wiggs). ‘Opened’ is similarly sluggish and unsettling, complete with Kim’s largely spoken lyrics – this one wouldn’t have been out of place on the Pixies’ Doolittle a year earlier.
I’d say I prefer Last Splash, but Pod is an important and rewarding debut.
366Music 