The Breeders - Last Splash

Surf's up, but--oooh--what's that dark stuff in the water? Imagine if you can, the spectral spawn of the Ventures, the Ramones and the Beach Boys suddenly washing up with the high tide, and you get some idea of what to expect from The Breeders, a rogue girl group with a fresh point of view. Hard edged yet supremely lyrical, The Breeders spend much of Last Splash groping their way through the contradictions of good times in the sun and their ambivalence about the loss of innocence.

Comprised of former members of the Throwing Muses and the Pixies, the Breeders' riot grrrl brand of surf punk owes little to the happy naivete of the Ronettes or the Bangles. On a raveup like "Cannonball," fired by a dancing, jittery bass line and moody, careening power chords, the Breeders evoke girl group harmonies to suggest romantic surrender and its dark side. Elsewhere songs like "Roi" and "Do You Love Me Now?" (the later song a remix from their last EP) bemoan the loss of romantic expectations, even as the heart quickens with hope on "Divine Hammer." Thanks to LAST SPLASH, you may never hear surf music the same way again.