Though ostensibly a side project of the Pixies' Kim Deal and Throwing Muses' Tanya Donelly, The Breeders' 1990 debut, Pod, has held up as a classic of late 80s/early 90s off-kilter alternative pop, surpassing the contemporaneous work of their main bands. Though Deal would really hit the big time 3 years later with The Breeders' follow-up, Last Splash, and Donelly would do the same with her next band, Belly, Pod is the band's finest, most coherent album and perhaps the high point in both their careers. Engineered by the legendary Steve Albini. Reissued on high quality 180 gram vinyl.
J**N
Oh!
One of the bestest albums ever. Bought it for my brother, but I bet he'll never listen to it. Idiot.
D**N
Groovetastic!
When this first came out it was so unique and even tho theres shades of pixies in the sound realy it is its very own masterpiece. Iris is so amazing. All of it is amazing actually! Kim deal is a genius what a gifted artist is she?? The breeders Pod is the best all female group album ever made. Its wierd haunting minimal at times and great. One of the truly greatest albums ever made.
J**N
The Breeders' finest hour
I regard this as a superb album that is one-of-a-kind. I remember when it came out, way back in 1990, and how enthralling and original it sounded. The Breeders on Pod have a sound of their own that is impossible to pigeon-hole.Is it rock? There are grinding guitars and drawling vocals. But it is rock of a very introspective, "gothic" variety. Kim Deal puts you under a spell with her croaky, witch-like vocals. The guitars have an eerie, spine-tingling edge to them. On tracks such as "Glorious" and "Iris", their sinister plodding reminds me of a spider's web, slowly and irresistibly drawing you in...Is it pop? Sunny tracks like "Fortunately Gone", with sweet and catchy harmonies, would seem to say so. But there is a threatening undercurrent bubbling not far below the surface (and prone to erupt at any moment, as in the wonderful finale "Metal Man".)Is it classical? The sublime violin on "Oh!", and the charming classical guitar in "Metal Man", add a note of poignant melancholy.This eclectic mish-mash no doubt reflects the contrasting musical pedigrees of the band's mainstays - ex-Pixies rock-chick Kim Deal, dreamy indie-popper Tanya Donelly, and artsy Englishwoman Jo Wiggs - who came together to form the Breeders, originally as a side project.My opinion is that the Breeders were never the same after Tanya Donelly went off to form her own band, Belly - apparently taking with her most of the spooky weirdness that made Pod such a unique and brilliant album.I'm afraid the Breeders' next album, the far more conventional and commercially-successful Last Splash, just didn't do it for me. (Although the Safari EP released in between is a little gem well worth checking out).That makes Pod even more extraordinary and special.
Trustpilot
2 months ago
2 weeks ago
