The Breeders - Last Splash (20th Anniversary) [FLAC]

The Breeders - Last Splash (20th Anniversary) [FLAC]

Released: 1993 (2013)
Genre: Pop/Rock
Style: Alternative, Indie
Source: CD (log + cue)
Codec: FLAC
Bit Rate: ~ 900 kbps
Bits Per Sample: 16
Sample Rate: 44,100 Hz

Disc 1

01 New Year
02 Cannonball
03 Invisible Man
04 No Aloha
05 Roi
06 Do You Love Me Now?
07 Flipside
08 I Just Wanna Get Along
09 Mad Lucas
10 Divine Hammer
11 S.O.S.
12 Hag
13 Saints
14 Drivin' On 9
15 Roi (Reprise)

Disc 2

01 Do You Love Me Now
02 Don't Call Home
03 Safari
04 So Sad About Us
05 Cro-Aloha
06 Lord of the Thighs
07 900
08 Divine Hammer (Single Version)
09 Hoverin'
10 I Can't Help It (If I'm Still in Love With You)
11 Do You Love Me Now Jr
12 Head to Toe
13 Shocker in Gloomtown
14 Freed Pig
15 Saint (Head to Toe Version)
16 New Year (Demo)
17 Grunggae (Demo)
18 Invisible Man (Demo)
19 No Aloha (Demo)
20 I Just Wanna Get Along (Demo)
21 Mad Lucas (Demo)
22 S.O.S. (Demo)
23 Saints (Demo)
24 900 (Demo)
25 Iris (Live at Glastonbury)

Disc 3

01 Shocker in Gloomtown (Live in Stockholm)
02 New Year (Live in Stockholm)
03 Hellbound (Live in Stockholm)
04 Saints (Live in Stockholm)
05 Hag (Live in Stockholm)
06 I Just Wanna Get Along (Live in Stockholm)
07 S.O.S. (Live in Stockholm)
08 Roi (Live in Stockholm)
09 Head to Toe (Live in Stockholm)
10 Happiness is a Warm Gun (Live in Stockholm)
11 Cannonball (Live in Stockholm)
12 Invisible Man (Live in Stockholm)
13 Doe (Live in Stockholm)
14 Drivin' on 9 (Live in Stockholm)
15 Don't Call Home (Live in Stockholm)
16 Limehouse (Live in Stockholm)
17 No Aloha (BBC Session)
18 Flipside (BBC Session)
19 Divine Hammer (BBC Session)
20 Hag (BBC Session)

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.