The Breeders – All Nerve (4AD)

0

“No one’s here to stay” repeats Kim Deal a third of the way into All Nerve, The Breeders’ long-awaited new studio album.

Coming over the menacing groove of MetaGoth, that sounds like it could have been recorded by the group any time since they formed in 1989, the line is a strong reminder of the passing of time since then and how many times we thought we’d never hear another album from the legendary Boston alt-rockers. A full decade has passed since the last Breeders album, Mountain Battles. Before that it was six years between albums, before that it was nine. The Breeders have never been here to stay – each of their last four albums has been a re-entry of sorts. But if they come bearing an album as strong as All Nerve, then they’ll always be welcome back.

All Nerve sees Josephine Wiggs (bass) and Jim Macpherson (drums) joining Kim and Kelley Deal on record for the first time since 1993, completing the classic lineup that put out that year’s Last Splash. The four reunited live in 2013 for the 20th anniversary of that record, and according to the press release have been working on new material since.

I’ll admit the leading single Wait In The Car, while punchy, raw and enjoyable, made me slightly skeptical of the upcoming album. It was just a little too carefully presented as “weird” and played too self-consciously into their nostalgia factor; from the opening shout of “good morning!” to the “oh oh oh oh”s to the atonal chugging guitars. Most awkward of all was the refrain “mother wants to hold me down”, coming from the mouth of a 56 year-old woman and spiritual matriarch of a horde of younger acts who owe so much to her influence.

As guilty as I felt of the obvious comparison, I couldn’t help comparing Wait In The Car to Um Chagga Lagga, the first single heard from Pixies’ 2016 Head Carrier, which had the same effect of self-conscious box-ticking. Both tracks made me think – eccentricity ceases to be eccentric when it becomes predictable, so what are groups to do when their eccentricity of old has become so ingrained in modern rock norms?

To my delight, the album dispels the doubts I had based on the single. The Breeders trample any possibility of this being a nostalgia trip, not by changing their formula or deviating from their recognisable sound, but simply by, well, making some really good songs.

Nervous Mary opens the album with Kim Deal’s up-close vocals and sparse electric guitar notes before the band leap into life with a bouncing beat. “Heartbeat, hustle and pound/she’s running down the wrong street” sings Deal. The guitars perfectly convey the panic of the protagonist who “never got away”, the Deal twins creating tension with discordant intertwining parts and relentlessly hammering at the strings. As an opener it is perfect, and makes the following Wait In The Car a whole lot more fun and enjoyable now some of my doubts have been calmed.

Throughout the album this masterful ear for the blending of guitar parts is on full display. Take the late night strolling groove of Walking With A Killer for instance, the way the colorful use of guitars illustrate the lyrics. As Deal describes this sinister walk, a clean languid lick chimes beautifully a-la The Cowboy Junkies. When she “glow(s) in the headlights/as I hit the street” peals of distortion swell like waves from both sides of the stereo.

It’s not just the guitars, but the intricate and always-changing full-band arrangements that make the album a success, demonstrating a group in complete control of their craft. Songs alternate between sparse restraint and full-bodied rocking, stripping suddenly back to lonely bass, coming alive all together with atmospheric washes, drums suddenly dropping out for a few bars then suddenly propelling the music in a new direction, etc.

The production does well to capture the sound of the group playing together, the sound of the room being particular evident in Macpherson’s punchy drumming, the backbone of the album. The beat that kicks off Archangel’s Thunderbird is pure sonic ecstasy for any alt-rock fan or audiophile – when the chunky powerchords come in and mix with the drums in an intriguing time pattern, the deal (no pun intended) is sealed.

The soft-loud dynamics that the frontwoman helped to make common rock fodder with Pixies are still prevalent in most of the tracks, and perhaps used best in the title track, a surprisingly touching love song of affecting directness – “I want to see you/especially you/you don’t know how much I miss you”. The lyrics throughout the album alternate between the similarly direct and the cryptic – from “I look up/I’m lonely too” to “I need to spit/to crush these beetles on my lips”.

The only skippable moment is Howl At The Summit, which is hindered by an ill-fitting orchestral string part. (Fun fact: that’s Courtney Barnett and her band chanting the backing vocals.)

Tucked away second-to-last, Skinhead #2 is worth mentioning as perhaps the brightest of All Nerve’s many highlights. Macpherson’s snare is like a slap that comes from all around you at once and anchors everything.

But even more notable are this piece’s lyrics. “Tough kids love sad songs” sings Deal. “They sing along/sing for me”. One year short of their 30th anniversary, The Breeders may have written their career summary. Though it might be more accurate, based on the strength of their new album, to think of these lines as less of a summary and more of an ongoing mission statement.

Ruben Mita

The 13th Floor
Latest posts by The 13th Floor (see all)