Last Splash

Last Splash is the second studio album by American alternative rock band the Breeders, released on August 30, 1993. Originally formed as a side project for Pixies bassist Kim Deal, the Breeders quickly became her primary recording outlet. Last Splash peaked at number 33 on the Billboard 200 albums chart, and by June 1994, the album had been certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for shipments in excess of one million units.

The title of the album is taken from a line in the lyric of its lead single, "Cannonball". The video for "Cannonball" was directed by Spike Jonze and Kim Gordon, and the video for the album's second single "Divine Hammer" was directed by Jonze, Gordon and Richard Kern. A looped guitar sample of "S.O.S." was used by the English electronic music band the Prodigy in their 1996 hit single "Firestarter". A sample from "I Just Wanna Get Along" was used in another track by the Prodigy called "World's on Fire" from the Invaders Must Die album.

In 2003, Pitchfork listed the album at number 64 on their list of the Top 100 Albums of the 1990s.^[3] In 2020, Rolling Stone ranked the album number 293 in their revised list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time (after not including it in the original 2003 list or the 2012 revision).^[4] On May 13, 2013, 4AD released LSXX, a deluxe 20th anniversary version of the album,^[5] and on September 22, 2023, 4AD released Last Splash (30th Anniversary Original Analog Edition),^[6] with additional tracks "Go Man Go" and "Divine Mascis".

Composition

Last Splash has been categorized as alternative rock,^[7] as well as indie rock,^[8] noise pop^[9][7] and "effervescent" pop rock.^[10] It is also considered "wildly", "willingly" experimental,^[3][11] sporting art rock textures, "pure", "twisted" pop, and Hawaiian surf music.^[12][13] The latter genre is seen in the "tiki bar twang" of "No Aloha" and the "gonzo" surf rock of instrumental "Flipside".^[12][14] "I Just Wanna Get Along" takes on "spiky" pop-punk,^[15] while cover "Drivin' on 9" pulls in acoustic and country sounds.^[10][14]

Legacy and impact

Dubbed one of the "most enduring masterpieces" of alternative rock,^[7] Last Splash has been praised for "perfectly encapsulat[ing] all that was great and wonderful" about the genre's explosion in that era.^[16] Nashville Scenes Sean L. Maloney saw Splash both "[distill] the zeitgeist into perfect alt-pop nuggets", but also serve as "the last gasp of alternative music as an actual alternative to the mainstream".^[17] The Quietus Emily Mackay considered it "a key album" for the genre's mainstream crossover.^[18]

In a retrospective review of it 20 years on, Stereogum's Tom Breihan called it "a warm, homemade, deeply and consciously odd" record.^[8]

Accolades

Track listing

LSXX track listing

There are two versions of LSXX: a 3-CD package and a 7-disc vinyl set.^[27] The CD and vinyl formats have the same track listings.

The vinyl set contains the following vinyl:

1. Last Splash
2. "The Stockholm Syndrome" (partially previously released as Live in Stockholm 1994)
3. Demos, rare tracks & session versions
4. Safari EP
5. Cannonball EP
6. Divine Hammer
7. Head to Toe EP

The track listing below is for the 3-CD set. All songs are by Kim Deal except where noted.

Disc 1 – Last Splash

The first disc contains the original release track listing.

Personnel

The Breeders

• Kim Deal – lead vocals, guitar, Moog, Casiotone
• Kelley Deal – guitar, Kenmore 12-stitch, lap steel, mandolin, vocals, lead vocals on "I Just Wanna Get Along"
• Jim MacPherson – drums, bass on "Roi"
• Josephine Wiggs – bass guitar, double bass, vocals, cello, drums on "Roi"

Artwork

• Jason Love – photography
• Paul MoMenamin – design assistant
• Vaughan Oliver – art direction, design
• Kevin Westenberg – portraits

Additional musicians

• Carrie Bradley – violin, additional vocals

Production

• Kim Deal – producer
• Mark Freegard – production, engineering
• Sean Leonard – assistant engineering
• Daniel Presley – engineering on "Divine Hammer"
• Andy Taub – assistant engineering

Chart positions

Singles

References

1. ^ "10 Essential '90s Alt-Rock Albums". Treble. July 25, 2013. Retrieved May 3, 2021.
2. ^ "The 150 Best Albums of the 1990s". Pitchfork. September 28, 2022. Retrieved April 26, 2023. Last Splash thrust the Breeders...into the surf-grunge sunshine.
3. ^ "Staff Lists: Top 100 Albums of the 1990s". Pitchfork. November 17, 2003. Retrieved May 5, 2016.
4. ^ "The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time". Rolling Stone. 2020-09-22. Archived 2022-08-27 at the Wayback Machine.
5. ^ "The Breeders: Out Now: The Breeders – LSXX". 4AD. Retrieved May 5, 2016.
6. ^ "4AD". 4AD. Retrieved January 10, 2026.
7. ^ Zoladz, Lindsay (May 15, 2013). "The Breeders: LSXX". Pitchfork. Retrieved October 30, 2013.
8. ^ Breihan, Tom (August 30, 2013). "Last Splash Turns 20". Stereogum. Retrieved August 9, 2021.
9. ^ Kot, Greg (September 10, 1993). "Veil Of Noise". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved October 24, 2015.
10. ^ Sutton, Terri (May 15, 2013). "The Breeders, 'Last Splash' (4AD/Elektra)". Spin. Retrieved May 15, 2013.
11. ^ Kennedy, Jake (April 23, 2013). "LSXX: Last Splash 20th Anniversary Edition – Record Collector Magazine". Louder Than War. Retrieved August 9, 2021.
12. ^ Chick, Stevie. "BBC – Music – Review of the Breeders – Last Splash". BBC. Retrieved August 10, 2021.
13. ^ Wisgard, Alex (August 2, 2002). "Album Review: The Breeders - Last Splash / Releases / Releases // Drowned in Sound". Drowned in Sound. Archived from the original on August 27, 2022. Retrieved August 10, 2021.
14. ^ "The Breeders – Last Splash: LSXX". Uncut. April 26, 2013. Retrieved August 10, 2021.
15. ^ Phares, Heather. "Last Splash – The Breeders". AllMusic. Retrieved August 20, 2015.
16. ^ Ferguson, Jason (May 14, 2013). "The Breeders: Last Splash LSXX". Paste. Retrieved July 26, 2024.
17. ^ L. Maloney, Sean (May 9, 2013). "Alt-rock heroes The Breeders celebrate the 20th anniversary of Last Splash with a deluxe reissue and tour". Nashville Scene. Retrieved August 17, 2022.
18. ^ Mackay, Emily (August 12, 2013). "20 Years On: The Breeders' Last Splash Revisited". The Quietus. Retrieved August 20, 2015.
19. ^ "The 50 Best Rock Albums of the '90s". Slant Magazine. May 11, 2021. Retrieved August 17, 2022.
20. ^ "The 90 Greatest Albums Of The '90s". Spin. December 25, 2021. Retrieved August 18, 2022.
21. ^ "The Best Alternative Rock Albums of the '90s". Treble. September 20, 2023. Retrieved July 23, 2024.
22. ^ "Top 101-200 Favorite Albums Ever: The Stylus Magazine List". Stylus. Archived 2005-12-14 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved August 18, 2022.
23. ^ Sheffield, Rob (June 22, 2012). "Women Who Rock: The 50 Greatest Albums of All Time". Rolling Stone. Retrieved July 23, 2024.
24. ^ Barker, Emily (October 25, 2013). "The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time: 200-101". NME. Retrieved August 17, 2022.
25. ^ "Turning The Tables: The 150 Greatest Albums Made By Women : NPR". NPR Music. Retrieved July 23, 2024.
26. ^ "The 300 Greatest Albums of All Time". Paste. June 3, 2024. Retrieved July 23, 2024.
27. ^ 4AD
28. ^ "The Breeders – Last Splash". australian-charts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved December 28, 2012.
29. ^ "RPM 100 – Albums (CD's & Cassettes)". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. December 4, 1993. Retrieved December 28, 2012.
30. ^ "Discografie The Breeders" (in Dutch). dutchcharts.nl. Hung Medien. Retrieved December 28, 2012.
31. ^ "Album – The Breeders, Last Splash" (in German). Media Control. Archived April 2, 2015 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved December 28, 2012.
32. ^ "The Breeders – Last Splash". swedishcharts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved December 28, 2012.
33. ^ "Official Charts > Breeders". The Official Charts Company. Retrieved June 19, 2017.
34. ^ "Last Splash – The Breeders: Awards". AllMusic. Rovi Corporation. Archived September 23, 2010 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved December 28, 2012.
35. ^ "The Breeders – Last Splash". charts.nz. Hung Medien. Retrieved December 28, 2012.
36. ^ "Lista prodaje 42. tjedan 2025" [Sales list Week 42 2025] (in Croatian). HDU. October 19, 2025. Archived October 30, 2025 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved October 30, 2025.
37. ^ Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010. Mt. Martha, VIC, Australia: Moonlight Publishing.
38. ^ "The Breeders – Cannonball" (in French). lescharts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved December 28, 2012.