May 20, 2002 by A.S. Van Dorston

While the suits at Elektra have probably already pulled the plug on promoting the new Breeders album, Title TK, and are scheming how to get rid of them, it’s the perfect follow-up to their 1992 Safari EP, as if Last Splash (’93) never happened. While that album had some great songs, its slick production was at times positively gaudy next to the exquisitely beautiful minimalism of their 1990 debut Pod and the heartbreaking melancholy of the aforementioned EP, which seemed to have been inspired by the breakup of Kim Deal’s marriage to John Murphy, who ironically contributed lyrics to “Don’t Call Home.” Whatever happened during the years of The Breeders’ brief stint as rockstars, and their nine years of writer’s block, there’s plenty more sadness to go around.

Title TK is like that term paper that you procrastinate until the night before, then burn through it on all cylinders all night and end up with something that is inspired, if somewhat ragged. Good enough for an A-minus. “Little Fury” kicks things off with a slow tempo, resonating with much more feeling and even sensuality than those rushed, peppy songs on Last Splash that were so damn eager to please. If anything, the extra breathing room lend more impact to those special Deal-sisters harmonies. “Off You” is a spare, heartbreaking ballad with an almost imperceptible guitar, making the not-quite-a capella performance recall Mo Tucker’s turns on the mic in The Velvet Underground. “The She” features a droning krautrock organ like a stripped-down Stereolab. Taking a break from the gloom and drones are “Too Alive” and “Son Of Three” with up-tempo major key hooks that show they still know how to write good pop songs, even if they refuse to drown them in six coats of laquer. “Full On Idle” an Amps remake that sounds more like a welcome Pixies-ish romp, while “Forced To Drive” reaches another highpoint, and coincidentally, another Velvets-circa-1969 moment. The album concludes with the compact, single-worthy “Huffer,” a fitting oh-oh goodbye. Title TK is a modest anti-epic that was still worth the wait. Rather than cheapen their legacy by churning out garbage, The Breeders held back until they were ready, making this rare offering all the more special.

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