The Breeders
Title TK
Elektra
***
Don’t expect to find the Breeders on an episode of “”Where Are They Now?”” Their new album, “”Title TK,”” is the Breeders classic sound and is devoid of any staleness that might have tainted them during their 10-year hiatus.
The nucleus of the band, twin sisters Kim and Kelly Deal, are augmented by three 20-something men: Fear members Richard Presley and Mando Lopez, and friend Jose Mercedes. Perhaps it is the new blood injected into the band that makes “”Title TK”” sound like the Breeders are ready to get busy again.
Kim decided that “”Title TK”” would use no computers or digital recording and would avoid trends that would make the band sound cliched. This “”All-Wave”” philosophy means everything on the album is an analogue recording of someone playing rather than computers doing all the dirty work.
The result is a real but polished sound that revisits the Breeders’ 1993 album, “”Last Splash.”” The sisters still harmonize and pass the main mic, confusing your eardrums to the mid-tempo rock songs. All the supporting beats and rhythms are organic; there is no sampling on this record, which makes this album an authentic mastery of indie-rock.
Simplistic guitars and ostentatious bass and drums create a contrasting effect. The Breeders have crafted an album with groove, attitude and just enough ambivalent vocals for you to keep listening and looking for the message.
A relentless guitar and mysterious vocals drive “”The She,”” which recounts the experiences of a single traveler. The track in itself is a contradiction; heavy instrumentation makes the high-toned staccato voices border on disturbing.
Immediately, the Breeders break into a lighter sound on “”Too Alive.”” The instruments seem to almost step over one another. The pauses dice the song into needless pieces, but it warms up the sound.
The remainder of the record is au natural, hypnotic and dizzying, with the guitars leading the way for the breathy vocals of the Deal sisters.
– Jessica Kruskamp
Senior Staff Writer
