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.<ref name="Pitchfork1990s">Template:Cite web</ref> 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).<ref name="RS2020">Template:Cite magazine</ref> On May 13, 2013, 4AD released LSXX, a deluxe 20th anniversary version of the album,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and on September 22, 2023, 4AD released Last Splash (30th Anniversary Original Analog Edition),<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> with additional tracks "Go Man Go" and "Divine Mascis".

Composition

Last Splash has been categorized as alternative rock,<ref name=Pitchfork/> as well as indie rock,<ref name="Stereogum">Template:Cite web</ref> noise pop<ref name=ChicagoTribune/><ref name=Pitchfork/> and "effervescent" pop rock.<ref name=Spin/> It is also considered "wildly", "willingly" experimental,<ref name="Pitchfork1990s" /><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> sporting art rock textures, "pure", "twisted" pop, and Hawaiian surf music.<ref name="BBC" /><ref name="DiS">Template:Cite web</ref> The latter genre is seen in the "tiki bar twang" of "No Aloha" and the "gonzo" surf rock of instrumental "Flipside".<ref name="BBC">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="Uncut">Template:Cite web</ref> "I Just Wanna Get Along" takes on "spiky" pop-punk,<ref name="AllMusic" /> while cover "Drivin' on 9" pulls in acoustic and country sounds.<ref name="Spin" /><ref name="Uncut" />

Legacy and impact

Dubbed one of the "most enduring masterpieces" of alternative rock,<ref name=Pitchfork /> Last Splash has been praised for "perfectly encapsulat[ing] all that was great and wonderful" about the genre's explosion in that era.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Nashville SceneTemplate:'s 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".<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The QuietusTemplate:' Emily Mackay considered it "a key album" for the genre's mainstream crossover.<ref name = TheQuietus />

In a retrospective review of it 20 years on, StereogumTemplate:'s Tom Breihan called it "a warm, homemade, deeply and consciously odd" record.<ref name = Stereogum />

Accolades

Critical rankings for Last Splash

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Track listing

LSXX track listing

There are two versions of LSXX: a 3-CD package and a 7-disc vinyl set.<ref>4AD</ref> 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 Kenmore sewing machine from Kelley Deal's unusual performance credit (on "S.O.S."). On display at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

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

Chart (1993)	Peak position
Australian ARIA Albums Chart<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>	22
Canadian Albums Chart<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>	44
Dutch Top 100<ref name="nld">Template:Cite web</ref>	41
German Albums Chart<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>	68
Swedish Albums Chart<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>	43
UK Albums Chart<ref name="uk">Template:Cite web</ref>	5
US Billboard 200<ref name="am2">Template:Cite web</ref>	33
Chart (1994)	Peak position
New Zealand RIANZ Albums Chart<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>	11
Chart (2025)	Peak position
Croatian International Albums (HDU)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>	15

Singles

Year	Single	Peak positions
		US Main <ref name="am2" />	US Main Rock <ref name="am2" />	US Mod Rock <ref name="am2" />	AUS <ref name=ryan>Template:Cite book</ref>	FR <ref name="fr">Template:Cite web</ref>	NLD <ref name="nld" />	UK <ref name="uk" />
1993	"Cannonball"	44	32	2	58	8	35	40
	"Divine Hammer"	—	—	28	—	—	—	59
1994	"Saints"	—	—	12	—	—	—	—
"—" denotes a release that did not chart.

External links

• Template:MusicBrainz release