release date: May 28, 1990
format: digital
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,44]
producer: Steve Albini
label: 4AD - nationality: USA
Track highlights: 1. "Glorious" - 3. "Happiness Is a Warm Gun" - 4. "Oh!" - 5. "Hellbound" - 7. "Fortunately Gone" - 8. "Iris" - 9. "Opened" - 11. "Lime House"
Studio album debut by The Breeders, a project band created in the late 1980s as Pixies bassist Kim Deal and Throwing Muses vocalist and guitarist Tanya Donelly became friends and as Deal was unsatisfied with her part in Pixies as merely instrumentalist and was writing her own original material, the two decided give it a try making music together. A brief demo tape was sent to British 4AD-founder Ivo Watts-Russell, as both Pixies and Throwing Muses were signed to that label, he then made arrangements with Deal and Donelly to come to England to record some tracks. Deal made contact with Josephine Wiggs of the English band The Perfect Disaster (they had supported Pixies at a London concert in '88) to play bass on the recordings. Kim asked American producer Steve Albini to record the sessions and he got in touch with Slint drummer Britt Walford to stand-in - initially as studio musician only, which he subsequently agreed to if they would have him credited under another name. Thus, the band here consists of Kim Deal on lead vocals and guitar, Tanya Donelly on guitar and backing vocals, Josephine Wiggs on bass and backing vocals, and with Britt Walford (credited as Shannon Doughton) on drums and backing vocals. The majority of the tracks are credited Kim Deal (two songs co-written with demo bassist Ray Halliday, one composed with Donelly, and one track with Wiggs), which means Deal in a way here finds her outlet for her musical creativity.
Stylistically, it's typical indie rock of the early 1990s with strong and natural bonds to Pixies and Throwing Muses; also with producer Albini in the seat, the sound is far from over-produced and basically sound like it was recorded as is, playing live in the studio; however, there's also a distinct original sonic shape, which has to do with more simple and harmonic melodies pointing at The Beatles (the album contains the cover of the Lennon-McCartney song "Happiness Is a Warm Gun") and Velvet Underground as natural sources of inspiration AND an alt. rock sound, which can only be referred to as grunge rock, which makes it one of the earliest of that style and therefore a natural source of inspiration for many bands to follow in the early 1990s. Thinking of one of Pixies most beloved compositions from Surfer Rosa, the song "Gigantic" written and song by Kim Deal in a way comes closer to the music of Pod more than any other song by Pixies or by Throwing Muses for that matter.
Now, the album isn't famous for its innovative sound or great songs, but in time it has found its way to critical appraisal. Also, Kurt Cobain apparently has been sited to refer to the album as one of his top 3 favourite albums of all time.
I didn't come across the album until after having purchased The Breeders' Last Splash (1993), and that has probably influenced my verdict on the album, as I have never found it that appealing, but I must also confess that it's quite good as a template, although, it sounds quite dated from a contemporary perspective.
[ allmusic.com, Spin, NME 4,5 / 5, Rolling Stone 4 / 5 stars ]
