Various Artists
Gigantic- A Tribute to Kim Deal (American Laundromat Records)
By Soo Oh
Published: June 8th, 2008 | 1:00pm
Mountain Battles, the Breeders' first album in six years, was released to solid reviews and satisfied fans, happy to see Mrs. John Murphy back at work. Add to that success the honor of being lauded on Gigantic: A Tribute to Kim Deal, and 2008 is looking like a pretty good year to be Kim Deal.
The 13-track covers record generously borrows from the Breeders' back catalog, from debut Pod (1990) to Title TK (2002), as well as songs from 1995's Pacer by Deal's short-lived side project, the Amps. As the tribute's title suggests, Deal's work has always been somewhat eclipsed by her role as the Pixies' bassist and second-string singer: "Gigantic" may have our leading lady on vocals, but it was co-written with Frank Black for Surfer Rosa. However deliberately or inadvertently christened, it's appropriate enough; there's a certain pleasure in hearing her lesser-known gigs lend exposure to lesser-known musicians, some of whom have yet to complete a full-length LP or find American distribution.
Since there's no easy way to one-up a song like "Cannonball," the crown jewel of the Breeders' 1993 album Last Splash, extra credit goes to the Wheelers for trying, even if the boys' rendition comes off a bit too '90s alt-rock rote — have they been playing it that way since the single first came out? Elsewhere, the Tara King Theory's lead singer splendidly pouts and squeals all over the Amps' "Tipp City," an anthemic paean to drinking, while solo chanteuses Julie Peel and Melissa Gibbs uncover the delicate, intimate songwriting of "Fortunately Gone" and "Do You Love Me Now," respectively.
Descartes a Kant, a five-piece band from Mexico, delivers the most adventurous interpretation, transforming Breeders' favorite "I Just Wanna Get Along" into a kooky Victorian waltz that periodically hits the roof with a barrage of surf rock–cum–riot grrrl energy —its influences can be easily traced back to Deal. Indeed, it's the lack of an all-star roster that makes this tribute a fine testament to how the spirit of rocknroll's coolest woman can launch a tiny seed of inspiration that grows into something bigger and better — gigantic, even.
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Gigantic- a Tribute to Kim Deal's MySpace page
Issue #35
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