The Breeders

Nine years. Nine years we've been waiting for more of the Deal sister's beautifully dissonant melodies coupled with Kim Deal's incredibly oblique lyrics. Is Title TK the triumphant return of the Breeders? Well, not exactly. The line-up has changed completely since the days of Last Splash [the Breeders' 1993 hit.] The Breeders now feature ex-Fear guitarist Richard Presley and bassist Mando Lopez, and new drummer Jose Medeles. Perhaps it would be fitting for the album to be titled Kim Deal with Friends, considering Deal played three of the album's twelve tracks herself. Deal's "solo" tracks were recorded in 1999, while the rest of the album was recorded in 2001.

Title TK is decidedly playful and loose, with bits of laughter and guitar buzz mixed into the background. Deal's lyrics are as random as ever, often ranging from such topics as beer, "Little Fury" and "Sinister Fox" to wip-it's, "Son of Three" to I don't know what. "Force to Drive" has one of the most excruciating vague verses "Pity for me/tattoo a wow/what a mile." But, Deal's lyrics do work well with her subtle vocal medolics backed by her refreshingly dirty guitar. Musically, the album is fairly consistent, with several surprises, such as an upright bass, featured predominately on "Off You," also on the driving "Put on a Shade," and on "The She," which has a delicately whirling Farfisa organ looped in the background. "Full on Idle" is an up-tempo country-twinged ballad, followed by the sparse instrumentation of "Sinister Foxx."

The only real downside of this album is the length, clocking in at a total 38 minutes, with few songs straying over the three and a half minute mark. "T and T" is a little more than a drawn-out intro to "Huffer," the current single with a basic multi-channel guitar track. Title TK album is definitely worth buying, especially for a Breeders/Pixies fan. Hopefully, the follow-up won't take another nine years.