The Breeders - Title TK

Kim Deal’s enigmatic yet down-to-earth rocker chick schtick has been one of alternative music’s most endearing personas for the better part of 15 years now. Her signature vibe – sassy, strange, and right at home with a case of Pabst Blue Ribbon – has captivated listeners since the Pixies’ “Gigantic,” and is back in full force on the Breeders’ quirky new record, Title TK. Yet anyone expecting the lo-fi sugar rush of Last Splash should look elsewhere. Instead, Kim and sister Kelley trade off vocals like punk Patsy Clines, from the choking-back-tears country of the third track, “Off You” (given a full-on Marshall stack “sequel” on – what else – “Son Of Three”) to the grunge lament of “Forced To Drive.” This isn’t to say there’s no rock to be found; “Full On Idle” is a propulsively infectious cowboy rave-up, and “Huffer,” the album’s closer, surfs a series of “aah-aahs” and “da-da-das” on the closest thing to “Cannonball” or “Divine Hammer” to be found among TK’s 12 tracks. Lyrically, Deal is as cryptic as ever, but a longer glance at the lyric sheet reveals a litany of odd songs about being addled and idle. Cheerleader pregnancies (“the one-eyed jazz/as hickeys fade/round up holler girl/we’ll all need bigger uniforms"), drug-dealer regret (“you get an empty case of whip-its/and a boyfriend with a beeper”), and a general sense of Midwest apathy and melancholy permeate nearly every song. You can’t help but wonder how much of this is a reaction to Kelly Deal’s drug problems that sidelined the band for most of the past decade. Not to place too much autobiographical weight on the disc – hell, if the Pixies were any indication, ALL these songs could be about fictional characters – but the band’s history can’t help but color any lyrical interpretation. All told, Title TK is a better-than-good effort squarely on it’s own terms. Steve Albini’s powerfully spartan production touches are a perfect match for the band’s collection of sparse and somewhat dissonant pop songs, and little is as beautifully obtuse as Kim’s lyrics (bringing back a sense of unintelligible mystery and questioning that has been sorely absent from most post-90s rock). However, any view of Title TK as the near-decade-in-the-making comeback record that it most certainly is can’t help but disappoint. Last Splash had it all, from feedback-drenched instrumental rave-ups, to introspective blues, to well-crafted pop abandon; even though TK has enough quirk for days, it feels more like a relaxed, throwaway side project (albeit a very good one) rather than a proper follow-up. Yet maybe this is exactly what the Deal sisters needed to get back on track. Now that Title TK is out of their systems, one can’t help but be excited for the next record – hopefully it won’t take them 9 years to drop that one. [www.noaloha.com]